An Impossible Year
by AllisonHargreeves
Summary: What if there wasn't any war, any alchemy? What if everyone had a chance to live real, happy lives? And what if they had a chance to fall in love? College AU, full of fluff and ships (primarily Royai, Havolina, and the Hughes')
1. The Imaginary Girl

This AU has been knocking around my docs for a long time and decided it was time to start actually posting it. It's still being worked on but i promise continued cuteness for all.

Please let me know if people are OOC!

Enjoy!  
A.H.

* * *

There was no way he would be late for Professor Armstrong's class again. One of these days, she was going to live up to her name and tear him limb from limb.

 _Just in time._ He watched the clock strike the hour as he dropped his bag on the desk. He had to figure out how to be on time or accept that he was going to get murdered by someone like her eventually. The latter was much more likely.

He set out a pen and paper like an attentive student but automatically turned to stare out the window. It was too nice to be inside, and he'd learned everything on the syllabus in secondary school. Most of these classes were an exercise in patience….something Roy didn't have much of.

He was scrutinizing the sky outside his classroom/prison, wondering if it was getting cloudy when a flash of blue and blonde blew past and obscured his view for a moment. It was a quick moment too, but Roy found himself straining to follow her quickly blazed trail. She was gorgeous, and late, but otherwise he had no idea who she was and that was rare on the Central University campus.

After she rounded the corner the spell was broken, Roy blinked. He hadn't been sleeping well; there was a decent chance he imagined her. There were worse things for his subconscious to create than a hot girl, one he definitely would have noticed already if she was, in fact, real. Barely a minute later the door opened and Armstrong acknowledged the disruption with a small nod. He turned and watched the imaginary girl slide a pink transfer slip back into her bag and take a seat across the room. His interest shifted accordingly and didn't seem to be the only one. Her bright blonde hair was pinned up in a clip and he idly wondered how long it was. Somehow, in just a white button up, blue jacket and plain jeans, she looked better than all the other girls in their nearly-fall dresses. More interestingly, she didn't seem to care. She wasn't wearing makeup or jewelry and didn't so much as glance at the students around her, pulling a notebook from her bag and working on catching up to where Armstrong was on the syllabus.

By his next class, Roy was sure he was either crazy or on his way there. He'd taken painting to cover his fine arts requirement and it was usually a relaxing middle to his day. He was good at it and there weren't any papers or tests, Roy's only requirement for elective classes. He settled in to sketch the incredibly boring bowl of fruit in front of him, but it only held his attention for a moment. When he glanced around the room, there she was, again. She didn't seem to notice him and Roy did his best to stop looking over at her. He hadn't seen her before that morning, he was sure of that much. He coaxed himself to stop being weird and focused all his attention on that stupid fruit and not where she had come from, or who she was, or why he wanted nothing more than to know that or anything else about her.

* * *

Roy packed his things and was out the door within seconds of the class ending. He needed another round of coffee to get him through his last lecture of the day and stopped to grab one for Hughes. He successfully juggled the two cups all the way to their economics room, passing one of them to Maes while he took the chair previously occupied by Hughes' coat.

"There's this new girl." Roy said, by way of a hello. "She's in my Amestrian History class. And my painting class. Well, she has to be new. I'd remember that hair and those legs and...uh, point is she's beautiful and I haven't seen her before, but now she's everywhere. I think I might be hallucinating because I _cannot_ stress how gorgeous she is."

"Blonde? About 5'5? Nothing like your type?"

"You've seen her too?" Roy paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes. "I don't have a 'type'."

Maes scoffed but otherwise ignored him, choosing not to bring up how many of his former flings were brunettes. All of them that he was aware of as a matter of fact and they'd known each other for most of their lives. "Think she's in all your classes." Roy was at a disadvantage, facing away from the door...only Maes could see his accidental tormentor walk in and start down the aisle towards them.

"Wha…" He looked up, black eyes meeting brown and stopping both in their tracks. They seemed startled and she hurried to the front while Roy stared at the space she'd vacated. Maes tapped, then nudged, him in the shoulder to get him to move again.

"Oh, man. You've got it bad." In all the years he'd known him he hadn't seen Roy chase after anyone. Now he was declaring insanity on day one, and acting the part.

 _This should be interesting…_

* * *

She'd taken the first train, to the next train, that would get her to Central the fastest and she still felt late. Even though it was located in the capital of the country, the University took up its own part of the city and seemed to be a nearly different world. The buildings looked old, almost regal, and seemed to be far too many to serve such a small school. There were sizable swaths of trees and grass between paved walkways, handfuls of students catching the last sun of the year spread out on towels and laughing in groups. A larger squad sat further ahead and she quickly moved past the frankly alien-level relaxed slackers.

The first building she tried seemed to be correct; it was large, imposing, and everything seemed to be centered around it. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and stepped inside. Her immediate goal was to find the admissions office but she didn't have to look far for help. While there were halls running the length of the place with innumerable doors, the first one to the left had exactly the sign she'd been hunting down.

A young woman looked up from her desk when the door opened, automatically giving her a bright, welcoming smile. "Hi! How can I help you today?" She didn't get a chance to respond, her bag and suitcase giving her away. The woman's smile only grew brighter.

"You must be Riza Hawkeye, welcome to Central University!"

"Thank you." She wasn't really certain what else to say. "I just arrived and I'm not certain who I need to talk to about my schedule and room."

"I'll help you get sorted out. Come on." The smiling woman led her around the desk and handed her a pile of papers. "I'm Rose, by the way." She tossed the introduction over her shoulder, digging through a drawer until she produced a set of keys.

"It's nice to meet you." Rose was almost overwhelmingly nice but Riza recognized that she would need at least a little help and went along with it.

Riza's seriousness took Rose slightly by surprise but she kept on and assumed the new girl was nervous. She gave her a quick tour of the grounds and pointed out where Riza's classes would be. She was concentrating on memorizing the map of the campus. It seemed to radiate out from the center courtyard with class buildings lining the edges. Beyond those were the dorms, shops and cafes staggered through the space left between the campus and the student living.

"...And back there are where some upperclassmen live, though obviously not everyone can stake a claim on a house." A short, stocky red-headed man and a lanky blonde with a cigarette dangling between his lips nearly bumped into them but were engrossed in the story the blonde was telling and the men blew past without looking up.

"So...it doesn't go based on academic achievement?" Her attempt at a joke, something she wasn't accustomed to, seemed to do the job and got the other girl to laugh.

"I'm sure you're aware this is an elite not to mention selective school, believe it or not they probably managed to do just that." Rose started her off towards the dorm she'd be living in, one of the ones closer to campus. Each of the four dorms were built the same-three floors, dark brick exterior, small sitting area and awning out front. They looked nice, if a little old.

Rose walked her through the door and Riza's surprise was clear. "It looks a little dismal from the outside, but as you can see it's way better in here."

The front door opened into a sitting room with staircases set on either side. "There's 8 rooms on each floor and you're in...203." A glance down the first floor was fairly uniform and the second was set out the same.

"I don't know what it was like at your last university, but here the buildings are separated by gender-two for guys and two for girls. You'll need to keep an eye out on curfews and things if someone catches your eye."

Riza was about to say that that wouldn't be a problem, that she was there to get the best education possible and not to hunt for a husband. But Rose had been so nice she just smiled and nodded. "Good to know." Each pale wood door had two girls names on it and a small chalkboard. Most of them had jokes or messages written on them and the one attached to her door simply had a smiling face drawn on, with a nameplate for her next to Rebecca Catalina's.

"I have more work to do, but if you need anything, you can find me in the administrative building." Rose handed over the key and after double checking Riza was fine hurried down the stairs. She loved givings tours and had made herself late, again.

Riza hadn't ever lived anywhere other than her father's home but heard students complain about the housing her old university offered, enough to make her wary to try it. These rooms didn't seem anything like the dingy, cramped spaces she'd heard them whine over, not by a long shot.

There were two twin beds set across from each other in the large room, with enough space for a wardrobe and desk for each as well as a sizable shared bookcase, a table for the phone, and an armchair, still with room to spare. She ducked into a room to the left of the dorm door and found a bathroom, already cluttered with makeup she assumed was her new roommate's. The room itself was plain, bland beige walls and nearly matching carpet with two windows breaking up the monotony. Her side of the room was going to be especially boring compared to the girl who had already moved in. She had pictures and trinkets on her desk, bright blue sheets and stacks of pillows crowding her bed. Riza glanced down at her two bags and back at her side of the room, noting a suspicious package on her bed. She reached towards it gingerly and saw her name on the top, so she elected to open it.

 _Welcome to Central University, Riza Hawkeye! I wanted to be here to say hi and welcome when you arrived but I won't be able to be back until later so I sent this ahead. Wait for me to drink it! Or don't, I'll get more!_

 _Your loving and fantastic new roommate,_

 _Rebecca! xoxo_

She pulled a bottle of champagne out from beneath the colorful paper and smiled. She wasn't much of a drinker but the gesture was more than Riza was used to. She placed it on the bookshelf as her first ever keepsake. She knew she wouldn't be what her roommate probably wanted or expected but hey, maybe she was also quiet and accidentally standoffish.

It wasn't going to take her long to unpack and Riza smiled the entire time. It had been a good day.

* * *

He fought as hard as he could, but it wasn't a battle he was going to win. Roy sighed and held his hands up in surrender.

Hughes dropped the pillow he'd been using a weapon directly on his face. "Ok, _Roy-Boy,_ time to get up." It was practically part of their morning routine but Maes never missed the chance to make fun of his life long friend, and after that long life he had plenty of ammunition.

"Jesus, knock it off." He growled and pushed the pillow away so he could properly glare at the sun coming through the curtains. When Roy looked at the clock he groaned. "You're the worst." He could've slept in for at least another...15 minutes. Maybe. If he ran to history.

 _Which I could definitely do._

"Get moving or you'll miss breakfast." Maes grinned. "I'll only wait so long. Getting you to class is a full time job in itself, and as your best friend it's my duty to do what I can. Which you don't make easy. But you're not keeping me from Gracia and pancakes. Not to mention coffee."

A keyword that never failed to get his attention.

Roy grabbed blindly for clean clothes and matching shoes, running his hand through his hair to try to get it to lay flat and failing as always. Maes led him out of their dorm like a duckling with the knowledge he'd be led to his second favorite vice. "You know school just started. I haven't missed that many classes." His grumble was undercut by childish shuffling.

"Keep telling yourself that." The rest of the group was waiting for them, already assembled at the campus cafeteria with a table's worth of breakfast food. The only thing Roy cared about was caffeine, and after he'd had his first mug and started on a second was feeling something closer to human. He stopped tuning out his friends only to find Hughes gleefully recounting how flustered Roy had been the previous day to a rapt audience of Havoc, Catalina, Gracia, and Breda.

Roy groaned inwardly and decided tuning them out again was for the best. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her sitting by a window and taking notes from one of the textbooks spread out around her. Roy watched her brow furrow as she stopped writing and closed her eyes. Whatever it was it was stressful, but like Hughes had pointed out, they almost had the same schedule. He prayed he wasn't forgetting some test or assignment.

"Hey, Mustang, anyone home?"

"Hm?" Roy looked at the rest of the table, every occupant now focused on him instead of their conversation. Heymans rolled his eyes.

 _How long have they been watching me? Better question...how long was I watching her?_

"You've been staring at that blonde for a creepy amount of time. Is that her?"

Roy cleared his throat, ignoring Breda's question. He hoped the conversation has moved past him but his friends were too observant and he was too obvious….and too entertaining.

"That's her alright, Roy Mustang's mystery blonde."

Rebecca held up her hand to stop him. "Wait. You've been talking about Riza?" She looked at Gracia, both surprised they hadn't figured it out.

All the guys were watching them and waiting for an explanation, Roy most of all.

"My new roommate, the quiet girl you all thought I was going to drive insane and terrify? That's her. I've been trying to get her to eat with us but she's shy." Rebecca held up her hand. "And I have _NOT_ driven her insane." They'd become close quickly as a matter of fact and she had to fight herself not to stick out her tongue like a child.

Gracia nodded in agreement. "Riza's lovely. Quiet, but witty. Kind too. " Both girls hoped she would want to come to meals with the rest of their friends soon, but the guys had _slightly_ larger than life personalities and they weren't going to rush her.

Asking for details was on the tip of his tongue but Roy thought better of it. He had already caught the mischievous glimmer in Maes' eyes and he did not want to stoke that matchmaking fire.

They teased him for a while, the moment a novelty for their normally smooth leader. He did his best to focus on his friends and not the mystery girl- _Riza_ -he corrected himself-but after a few minutes Roy noticed she was gone. Gracia was the only one who saw how his face fell; he composed himself immediately. But there it was. Maes had always half-joked that Roy couldn't get attached to anyone but himself, but Riza could put his theory to the test.

"Alright, it's been fun talking about girls but I have a sociology lecture I'm late for, I'll see you all later." Breda sarcastically saluted the table and met the dwindling crowds of students outside.

"I have to go too. History's across campus." Their team disbanded, vague plans about beer at Havoc and Breda's later that evening fading out while Roy picked up his pace. He had a date to deal with instead of his friends and by the end of the day he was once again running behind.

When he showed up at Catalina's friends dorm, he cursed himself for being stupid enough to fall into one of her traps. One side of the dorm was bright pink, and the other all black. One girl had hair that was tinged blue and the other a garish blonde. He couldn't help but compare it to Riza's, and when she introduced herself, telling him she needed about 45 more minutes, he knew it was going to be a long night.

 _Didn't have to rush after all…_ Roy sat cross legged in the hallway and leaned his back against the wall, already exhausted.

* * *

The evening did not disappoint. His expectations, at least. He was still trying to figure out if she had any interests outside of a very specific brand of purses and pontificating on why alcohol was the devil's drink.

After he dropped her off at her dorm and got back to his, he called Catalina. She knew this would go badly and he'd agreed to it to try to mend fences. She wasn't even being that mean, for Rebecca. But fuck was it a pain in his ass. He was gearing up to tell her exactly that when Riza answered. He clammed up immediately, slamming the phone into the cradle and disconnecting the call.

* * *

Roy groaned as he looked through his bag. He'd tried his damndest to be prepared for class for once and he forgot a pen. Hopefully no one would notice him, he'd already snuck in the back after the lecture started and was testing his luck.

He didn't expect her to be even later than him. Unlike Roy, she didn't go unnoticed.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Hawkeye." Riza met Professor Armstrong's glare evenly but hurried to one of the last empty seats.

 _Is she not afraid of Armstrong? She hasn't been here that long_.

It was obvious she wasn't one to be intimidated, either. Roy tried to hide his smile and failed as her search for an empty seat landed her right next to him. Rebecca claimed to not have had any luck getting her to join them at meals so he hadn't learned any more about her in the past few days. But Riza had no idea who he was and he prayed he had been spared from Catalina's storytelling so far.

Riza was rummaging through her own bag, sighing in defeat as she produced a notebook but nothing to write with. She rubbed her temples, obviously in the middle of a difficult day.

"If you need a pencil, there's two in your hair." He whispered, staring ahead but shifting his eyes slightly to the left to see if she heard him.

She reached up and removed each of them, the bun they'd been holding together coming apart when she did. She handed him the extra pencil, noticing he was in the same predicament the moment she sat down.

"Thank…". He had wondered about it before but her long golden hair somehow made her even more beautiful and he could only stammer out a . "..thanks." She was already taking notes and not paying him any mind.

Though if he was paying more attention himself he would have noticed the occasional glances she stole from the corner of her eye. She'd been wondering who he was since her first day but hadn't been able to find out anything with her limited connections and hesitancy to tell Rebecca anything she'd consider 'exciting'.

* * *

"Hughes!" Roy jogged to close the distance between them and tapped his best friend on the shoulder, nearly tripping on a break in the sidewalk. Maes pulled his nose out of the book he was skimming and stopped to let Roy catch up.

"She sat next to me today." He fell into stride next to Hughes, who gave up studying and jammed the book into his bag.

"Did you actually talk to her?"

Roy sighed. "Well, I managed to... mostly say thanks when she lent me a pencil…" Maes rolled his eyes. He had no idea how to go about handling a lovesick Roy.

"How is it that the famous Roy Mustang doesn't have the balls to chat a girl up?"

It was a good question, something he'd been trying to find the answer himself. "There's just something about her, I don't know." He had never had a problem like this..if he was interested and approached a girl, he found no trouble being witty and/or charming. Most of the time he was the one approached. But he'd never choked as badly as he did in class, or when he tried calling Catalina, or in the cafeteria...

"Speaking of things you don't know, you didn't forget about the test in Economics, right?" Roy opened his mouth but didn't make a sound. That's why Maes had been trying to read and walk at the same time.

"How am I never prepared for this shit?" He had absolutely no recollection of Professor Falman saying anything about a quiz.

"Because you're staring into space daydreaming about world domination, or lately, daydreaming about Rebecca's roommate" He paused. "When you show up. Ya'know Roy, why do you even come to class at all?"

"Attendance credit. That 15% saved my ass last year."

"Mmhm. That and charming half the tutors into doing a staggering amount of work for you."

"Might as well use what I have."

Since he was running on Maes' schedule instead of his own, they were a few of the first to the classroom. She was already there, closer to the front of the class than Roy had ever been. Maes grinned like a madman and grabbed the strap of Roy's bag, pulling him the length of the room and sitting down in front of her. They were directly facing the podium and he was grateful it wasn't a lecture day. Professor Falman didn't yell like Armstrong but his disapproval was silent, vaguely parental, and therefore much worse.

Maes turned around, the movement getting her attention. "Hi there!" His excessively friendly demeanor caught her off guard and Riza looked up from her book with a small start.

"Hello." She wasn't sure why the guy decided to talk to her but he was awfully enthusiastic. She recognized his friend, though.

"I'm Maes and this is Roy. You're new, right?" Maes had no idea if he should mention they already knew who she was but ended up deciding to play dumb.

"Yes, I transferred in last week. Nice to meet you. I'm Riza." She wasn't good at small talk, or much talk at all. But now she knew the boy with the messy black hairs name, so that made the discomfort almost worth it. "Are you ready for the test?'

"You have to take it?" Roy blurted it out without thinking. It didn't seem fair, she'd missed more classes than even he had.

"Professor Falman offered to let me take it later but I'd prefer not to fall behind. Besides, I took pretty much the same class last year. I'm more worried about that Amestrian History exam we have tomorrow."

"Ya know, history's Roy's best subject." Maes interjected. "Pretty sure his help is the only way I managed passing last year."

 _You're full of shit, Hughes, but thanks all the same._

He silently urged Roy to keep talking. If he didn't, he was going to beat the hell out of him later.

"I'm a lost cause here but if you want help with history...it's always been one of my favourites." At least that was the truth.

"Lost cause?" She was surprised, he was always joining in class discussions and seemed to know what he was talking about.

"If I get above a 40% on this you'll see me dancing across campus."

"I can help with that. The classwork, not the dancing, you don't want my help with that one." She smiled a little and Roy did the same.

"Perfect! And that gives me an excuse to bail on ya without feeling bad, I have a birthday present to plan." Roy stopped himself from pointing out he had plenty of time until Gracia's birthday but since it was Hughes, he couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or setting him up.

"I don't know what your plans are after this but this is my last class of the day. If you'd want to get coffee or something we can study for tomorrow…" He was staring holes in the desk between them with Riza turning a little pink at the same time. Maes watched, his amusement barely contained. Roy Mustang was painfully, obviously nervous in front of a girl...he couldn't wait to tell the others. They'd lose it.

"This is my last one too. I don't know the area well enough to make recommendations but I saw somewhere nearby that looked like they had good coffee."

By then the rest of the class had trickled in, as had the professor. "I'll wait for you outside when I'm done flunking this." Roy smiled at Riza, who did the same.

"Good luck, Roy." He strangled out the same before spinning quickly around to the front. Only Maes and Professor Falman saw the shade of red his face became. He had been doing fine but the way she said his name sounded...nice.

Roy noticed a small note on the side of his desk as the test papers were passed around. He opened it and it was covered in a too familiar scrawl. **"You're welcome, now man up and ask her on a** **real** **date."** Roy quickly crumpled the note, stuffing it in his jacket pocket and glaring at Maes, the look intensifying at the sight of his best friend's jaunty grin.

* * *

Roy, having left a not insignificant portion of the test blank and answered one of the essay questions with his thoughts on the weather had time to kill once he handed in the damned pieces of paper. He sat outside the building, perched on a low wall scribbling in a notebook when the majority of the students funneled out. Maes waved a goodbye to Riza as she hesitantly approached an oblivious Roy.

"That was quick." He snapped his head up at the sound of her voice and shut the journal.

"Yeah...like I said, I'm fairly without hope." He shoved the notebook in his bag and stood up, gracefully sliding the books out from under Riza's arm and tucking them in his own in nearly the same motion. "However, I'm going to make sure you don't meet the same fate. Ready to go?"

Riza blinked when her books disappeared but nodded. "Lead the way."

* * *

"So that was the border war in...1710?" Riza leaned over the map at the center of the table with a frown.

"No, that was here." Roy moved a shaker of salt over to the West to demonstrate.

Riza's frown deepened. "Amestris has literally never been at peace.." No wonder she never did well in the subject. Each battle, massacre, or war ran into the next with no breaks for hundreds of years and the same basic formula somehow appeared in each. She glanced at Roy, who was gazing down at where he was pointing and chewing on his pencil.

"Yeah."

"You don't seem too happy about it."

Roy tucked the pencil behind his ear. "Should I be?"

"Well, you said this was your favourite subject." Riza pointed out, taking a sip of tea. "Seems like you would at least find it interesting."

Roy shook his head. "Not because of that. I plan to run this country one day. Have to learn from the mistakes of the past." He tapped the map. "There are a lot of them."

He wasn't expecting Riza to laugh, though, like most of what she did, it was quiet and somehow thoughtful. "You're really going to have to brush up on Economics if you plan on being Fuhrer."

"Well, then, I was lucky to meet you." Roy didn't even register he'd blurted out his big, have-to-keep-quiet-or-else life plan to what was essentially a stranger. They could probably get him on treason just based on that. He shrugged it off, having a feeling she was trustworthy and got back to work.

He retrieved his pencil and spun the map of Amestris to face him, jotting notes directly on it. Before she asked what he was doing he gestured to her notebook. "I'm more or less a visual type of person than anything else, this is how I learned the wheres and whens. If I just took notes I would never have processed anything. So here-" He proceeded to draw lines, mark spots on the map, dates, notes, everything she'd need for the portion of the test she wasn't sure of. He explained his process while he did and when he had finally put the latest Amestrian conquest on the map, she felt her headache start to ease up.

She was comparing his notes to hers but quickly discarded those in favour of Roy's. They poured over the map until they were politely informed the shop was closing. "That made...a lot of sense. Can I keep this?"

Roy folded it up and handed it to her. "Of course, I made it for you in the first place. I'll need to add to that before the midterm though." He stood up, annoyed at the cafe for closing so early. He tossed his bag over his shoulder before grabbing his jacket in one hand and Riza's books in the other. He was compensating for being tongue tied around her with chivalry...if he couldn't say anything, he at least wanted to do something.

 _I need help._

"Drawing on a map is easy, but economics is glorified paperwork. Good luck helping me." Roy was only half joking. He had been resigning himself to taking the course again since the second day.

They were walking without a destination, and while he was more than happy wandering campus together, she looked tired and it looked like rain. "What dorm are you in? I'm in Johnson." And he was glad it wasn't far. Clouds had been forming all day and he hated rain more than anything. Now that they were outside, it was clear it was only a matter of time.

"Tyler." About a block closer and directly in their path.

"I can walk with you, that's on my way. If you want." He started to stumble but stopped when she nodded.

"Company would be nice."

They continued in comfortable silence until he felt something fall on the top on his head. Followed quickly by another something, and in an instant the sky opened up above them.

Riza gasped when the cold water hit her skin and Roy threw his jacket over her shoulders, sprinting to the front door of her dorm. There wasn't much to protect them from the downpour, so he handed her her stack of books and smiled before running towards his own building. He turned and ran backward for a moment, waving to her.

"See you tomorrow Riza."

He was out of earshot so she felt comfortable enough to respond. "See you, Roy. I look forward to it."

* * *

Maes didn't move a muscle when Roy burst into the room, shivering and slamming the door.

"Careful, it looks like it's really coming down out there." Roy grabbed a towel off his hook in the bathroom and started to dry his hair even with water pooling at his feet.

"Nope. You know what? Can't be mad at you right now." He paused. "Not that you should push it."

"Can't be annoyed at me? That must have been good coffee."

"I didn't say annoyed." Roy reached and pulled a brand new, yet thoroughly chewed on, pencil from his bag.

"She lent this to me." He sighed unhappily and went rifling through his desk for one to give her to replace it. He froze in place, patting the pockets of his pants and turning them inside out. He watched his wallet drop to the ground but not what he was looking for.

"Maes...that note you wrote me. I put it in my pocket." Hughes didn't look up from his novel.

"And? DID you ask her?" When Maes didn't get an answer he finally paid attention to the very, very flustered Roy before him.

"No, but I left her my jacket, with that in the pocket." After a beat of silence Maes started to laugh.

"That's even better, you can't chicken out now, she'll know. You're welcome, again."

Roy flopped down on his bed. "I don't know what I'm doing, Hughes. Help me navigate being as awkward as you." That got the laughter to stop but just barely.

"Look, I know you're out of your depth here but no turning back now. Like it or not, you'll have to get that coat back at some point. Maybe she won't look through the pockets." He'd seen her tuck the map into one when the rain started so that was unlikely. Still, he could hope.

* * *

By the time Riza got out of the shower Rebecca was ready to pounce. She had a piece of paper between her fingers, something Riza hadn't spotted before she'd gone into the bathroom. She assumed it had fallen out of Roy's jacket but didn't have a guess as to why Rebecca was so excited about it.

"What is it? You look like you're up to something." Being roommates with such an extrovert should have been much more exhausting. But the quieter girl had worked to adjust and the louder tried to temper herself so they could meet in the middle. A few more bottles of champagne had been added to the shelf, which helped at the beginning, but was quickly unnecessary.

"Really though. Why are you smiling like that? It's unnerving."

Rebecca, not letting go of the note, slid to the foot of her bed and right next to Riza. "This coat wouldn't happen to belong to one Roy Mustang, would it?" She took her silence as confirmation.

Riza had had enough teasing and snatched the paper out of Rebecca's hand. She had to know what had her roommate acting like a crazy...crazier... person.

" **You're welcome, man up and ask her on a** **real** **date."**

She folded it back up and put it back in Roy's jacket. "You have no idea that that's about me. Speaking of, you seem to have a habit of going through people's things." The tone was neutral but her clothes had started disappearing and reappearing on a regular basis and at varying levels of cleanliness. The small shopping spree she'd gone on with Rebecca and Gracia after she'd arrived had tripled her wardrobe (not that she'd come with much of one), a haul all of them found slightly astonishing. Someone like Riza could wear anything and yet she automatically vetoed most tops and dresses, turning the outing into an endurance contest.

"Hey, your blue dress was all Gracia. But she and Maes look so cute together, I didn't think you'd mind."

The names finally clicked and Riza nodded. "I met him earlier, I think he's Roy's roommate. He's nice. And I don't mind but I'd like that blouse back at some point.." Riza raised an eyebrow at Rebecca's stolen top. She was already on a completely different page though and Riza could see ownership of the shirt slowly drift away.

"When you mentioned a guy in your class I didn't think it would be Mustang...until he started talking about you too."

Riza stopped drying her hair, pausing with the towel still wrapped around the ends. "Talking about me? Why was he doing that?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Well, look at you, for one. According to Maes he's been pining after you since like, the second you got here." Riza watched her expression change, obviously a side effect of whatever unpleasant memory had come to Rebecca. And probably why she hadn't said anything about Roy yet.

"You don't seem very fond of him." Her beef with Mustang wavered in intensity and was definitely waning. But she'd never been a fan of how much he could and did get away with. And recruiting Jean and the rest of them to be part of his 'team' pissed her off to no end. Her parent's disappointment after everything was just the cherry on top.

"Word just...gets around, as does he..." Rebecca stopped before the inevitable rant about nearly getting them all kicked out or his questionable past with women. He was still a friend of hers, they sort of had to be; they had all the same friends. And it wasn't like Mustang had NO redeeming qualities.

However. Riza was much to far out of his league and Rebecca hoped he recognized it.

Was the cute, awkward Roy Riza had spent the afternoon with an act? It certainly hadn't seemed that way, but then again, she wasn't well versed in socialization.

"Well he's handsome, I'm not surprised. And now I _know_ that note's not about me." She sounded triumphant but didn't feel it. She was still confused about the man her roommate was talking about and the one she'd spent the afternoon with but they seemed to be the same person.

When Rebecca was sure Riza was asleep, she dug through the pockets and on the opposite side, she left her own message. Mustang loved that stupid coat like it was some kind of childhood stuffed animal and wore it year round, including the dead of summer. He didn't lend this thing out lightly, or, as far as she could remember, ever.

" **She's quiet but she'll say yes. Do a single thing to her and it's the** _ **last**_ **thing you do, Mustang." -R.C.**


	2. Unstoppable

Riza slid into the empty chair next to Roy just as class was starting, She caught him grinning at her out of the corner of her eye and she did the same. "Thanks for saving me a seat." She was slightly disheveled from her jog to the building but had much more important things to deal with, like not failing out of school, and didn't care much anyway.

"Any time….oh! Here-" He pulled a new pencil out of his bag and passed it to her, quickly cutting off whatever dumb thing was about to come out of his mouth. "Sorry about the one you gave me." Roy had it out on his desk anyway and Riza glanced from him to it and back again. "I wasn't about to return a gross half eaten pencil but I still like it. It….writes well."

 _Damn, be a bigger doofus Roy._ He wasn't sure that was possible, not with her right there, but damn was he going to try. If only her eyes weren't so bright, or her her legs weren't so long, or..

Riza skimmed her notes one last time, peering between them and Roy through mussed bangs. "I think I'm going to do ok on this one after all." When she didn't look up again he found his opportunity and pulled Maes' note out of his jacket. Everything seemed to be in order but the moment of relief passed quickly when he noticed there had been an addition.

 **RC**. Roy felt his stomach drop. Catalina, the queen of (mostly) misplaced grudges. It would have been better if Riza had been the one to find it after all. He fell into a mini daydream of him finally being able to rebuild that bridge, maybe on a double date with her and Havoc and him and Riza. A picnic would be nice.

"Good luck." Riza murmured, snapping him back to the real world just as he was about to plan a location and caught her rolling the new pencil in her hand. He was going to say the same but Professor Armstrong was suddenly there, a test booklet for each of them placed a little too aggressively on their desks.

"Quiet."

Riza approached the front of the room and placed her test on the desk before he'd even started the last essay question. She walked quickly down the aisle, bag and books already in hand.

 _I hope that means she did well._ Riza didn't seem like one to write smartass answers or leave questions blank but she was only the second person to finish the exam.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw her standing outside, paging through a book. Roy didn't think she would wait for him, if that was even what she was doing.

"Hey." He was still grinning when he stopped in front of her. "You were pretty fast. Did my tutoring pay off after all?" Roy gave her his best smolder and Riza laughed.

"Actually, I think it did." His smile widened and she found herself laughing again. No, he was definitely a dork. Rebecca had to be mistaken.. "And not having any tests for painting will be nice."

They started towards the art building, Roy acutely aware of her presence and how close she was. She was shorter than him, probably by 5 or 6 inches, but carried herself with so much quiet grace that she seemed 10 feet tall. He thought he could smell lavender but assumed sniffing her hair would be a dash too weird. Riza spent the walk in much the same manner, observing Roy as he tried to play it cool. She had everything Rebecca told her bouncing around in her head, and Roy being a ne'er do well playboy seemed more and more ridiculous the longer she spent with him . He had a nearly literal skip in his step at that current moment. But she also had never really spent time with people her own age...she could be way off.

"We're going to be early, not sure how, bet you're a magician."

"I have a watch. As do you." Riza pointed to the intricate piece she'd never seen him open, only play with.

"Damn thing's broken. It's going to be my excuse until the end of days, too. Come on, let's grab a coffee before we head in." They ducked inside the shop, Riza beating Roy to opening the door with a grin.

Riza had been more than a little hesitant about branching out beyond spending time with the girls and occasionally Roy, but Gracia and Rebecca managed to get her to come to breakfast after a little while and a lot of prodding. She'd been more or less silent the first few meals but was beginning get noticeably comfortable around the assembled group.

"So, Riza, what're you studying?" Breda continued to snatch food away Havoc's plate while he tried to placate a ranting Rebecca.

"I'm in the pre med track. And you all?" She hoped that would be the end of the line of questioning.

"I'm pre law with Roy." Breda wasn't looking forward to moving up to the law school the next year...it was so tempting to just stay in undergrad and coast with the others but alas.

"Journalism." How was she not surprised Maes had ended up there? She knew Gracia was going into education and couldn't picture a better fit for her, though a room full of small children sounded like a nightmare.

Havoc wrinkled his nose at his future business degree. His parents were helping put him through school, on the condition he learned how to run the store. At least he got to pick something, though. "With a minor in literature." Simply knowing what they were going to university for peeled back another layer of mystery from Roy's group. Strangely, she was starting to feel like one of them and more and more each day.

"Why'd you pick medicine, Riza?" She didn't say anything for a moment, pulling apart the end of a bagel while she thought about how to answer Jean's question.

"I wanted to do something to make the world better." Breda and Maes exchanged a look. Sounded like a certain friend of theirs.

Roy, picking up on and worried about Riza's mounting discomfort maneuvered the conversation to a new topic. In an instant Catalina and Heymans were trying to pull the rest of the table into a debate on which Armstrong had stronger arms, their terrifying professor or the brick of muscle PhD student that was her brother.

Riza found the spotlight off her and even with the relief that brought she didn't have to check to see that Roy was studying her. She raised a hand and rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous habit she'd only noticed when Gracia had pointed it out. They might, and very well could be, the best people i the world, but some things weren't meant to be shared.

Roy had to practically chase her after breakfast; Riza had disappeared from the table while the rest of them were packing up their bags. She stopped when she heard him and he skidded to a less than graceful halt. "You ok?" It was clear something was on her mind and it started when Havoc had prodded her about her major.

She didn't look up as he touched her elbow but also didn't hesitate. "Sorry for leaving so quickly, I'm fine."

He was about to apologize on Havoc's behalf but she cut him off.

"I swear it's ok. I'm just not big on...sharing." Roy nodded. He'd been relieved when he discovered she was as closed off around him as anyone else, but then he wanted to know why. The idea of her acting that way because she was or had been hurt wouldn't stop rattling around his head.

"So don't. Next time just punch and/or smack Havoc, or any of us, if we get in your space. Maybe not Graica, I think she'd punch back." The smile that got out of her made Roy happy enough to even surprise himself, and bring Riza back a little from wherever breakfast had taken her.

They wandered over to one of the many tree lined areas off the path and winding between buildings. It was a rare sight for being in the middle of Central and most students took advantage of the green saw a spot under a tree that looked much more appealing than class. Riza watched him with a bit of suspicion and a frown, bandied back to her with a million watt grin as Roy removed his coat off and sat on the ground next to it with a gesture.

The puppy eyes paired with the beautiful day were just enough to push her over the edge and she dropped her bag next to Roy's, taking the offered spot on his jacket. They were both quiet for a little, amusing themselves watching the people around them doing much the same and barely aware they weren't immune from people watching themselves.

There was a lot happening in that silence though and Riza knew their conversation wasn't over. She debated what to tell him, feeling like she could get enough details out without actually having to explain anything. It felt a little unfair to Roy, who was obviously trying so hard to help, and learn about her though she didn't quite see why...but he'd at least have _an_ answer. "My mother died when I was small. I think most of my father died with her and he just...gave up, a few years ago. I don't want that happening to another family. So while you take over the world, I'll be curing it. Depending on exams." She smiled at the ground and then up at him.

"Sounds like we're pretty unstoppable. I'm going to need some assistance on that whole tests and papers part though."

"I'm sure we can figure out something. Skipping class probably isn't helping." She looked around as fewer and fewer students loitered outside and instead funneled into the buildings around them.

"It's such a nice day. Even you can't deny you'd rather be here." She nodded in agreement, though it wasn't going to be a habit of hers. Riza leaned back a little, resting her head on the tree behind them. She appeared calm, but when she looked at him, her smile seemed to waver just a little.

"I'm sorry about your parents."

"They say everything happens for a reason. I hadn't considered being a doctor until I lost them. But now I have the chance to save others." Roy nodded. She'd save the freaking world if she put her mind to it, there was no question in his mind.

"I never met my parents. I've always been curious of course. But, my foster mother's the best, I've never had a reason to complain about my life." Dead Parent Conversations were always infinitely less awkward when the other person was in the same abandoned boat.

"You don't know anything about them at all?"

"Nope. Other than at least one of them was Xingese." He gestured to his dark hair and eyes. "And that's more of an assumption." Neither of them could decide which situation was preferable...having no idea who your parents are, or knowing, loving, and then losing them. So they dropped the topic.

"I never asked, how'd you end up here? If you transferred in as a junior, you were somewhere else before right?"

 _No, she just appeared here one day having never existed anywhere else._ He had to fight not to roll his eyes at himself. Dumber by the moment.

"I graduated high school early, being at home with my father all day gave me plenty of time. When I got a scholarship to come here I transferred from my old college. Most of the credits were accepted so I was able to stay in the same year. And the rest you know." Riza was uneasy at how open she was around Roy and found herself talking much too much for her liking. He knew **much** too much about her family and her history was a dangerous subject.

"If you graduated early, what class are you supposed to be in?" He'd just assumed she was the same age as the rest of them since they had so many courses together. That she was more or less at the top of the class already also helped that assumption.

"I'll be 20 in December."

"So I was right." He grinned at the question in her eyes. "You really are smarter than all of us put together." And a hint about when her birthday was. Nice.

Riza rolled her eyes. "Or, I study more than all of you put together." She had a fair point and he knew it. His friends weren't much better than him, Gracia and Heymans being the exceptions. It also didn't help that each and every one of them had ended up at least a semester behind the rest of their year. Roy elected to not go into those details, at least, not until he had to. Besides, Catalina had probably already told her to scare her away.

"Well no matter what you're a godsend." She laughed him off but turned pink and began to pay very close attention to the leaf she was pulling apart.

"Maybe not, if this keeps up."

He was the one to blush that time. "I promise I'll only pull you out of class on nice days." His playful smirk was easy to share.

"You'll pull **me**? I don't believe you know who you're dealing with."

"Don't worry, I'm working on finding out." His tone was genuine and his smile sincere. It made Riza nervous and part of her hoped he'd fail.

They sat in the shade, Roy trying to get to know Riza while she dodged his questions, and Riza listening happily to tales of his comparatively halcyon childhood and her new friends. They were so wrapped up in each other's ...stories, _definitely_ not the simple presence of the other…, that Maes had to put his hand between their faces to get their attention.

"Roy, come on, you were doing so well!" He was secretly elated at how they looked at each other and how lost in conversation they'd been so the scolding was less than half hearted. He wished the others would come by to witness the cuteness but sadly he was alone and they'd have to settle for hearing him repeat the story every time Roy or Riza left a room. Of this, he was certain.

"Exactly, so I deserved some time off." He grinned conspiratorially at Riza. She smiled and shook her head, a reaction Roy noticed he elicited often and hoped it was a good thing.

"Why do I bother? He's your problem now, Riza. Good luck!" Maes was gone as quickly as he'd come, a veritable whirlwind of cackles and legs vanishing around the corner like some kind of matchmaking demon.

"Before you even ask, I have no idea how we've survived together this long." Roy's grumble would have been convincing if he hadn't been smiling. From the outside it looked like they wanted to kill each other (Roy more so, Maes was constantly entertained by his friend's bogus rage) all the time. Realistically it was maybe 15%. That first day at primary school had pretty much bonded them for life. One of the few foolproof ways to get Maes riled up was to mention blue chalk and Roy hadn't made that mistake for years.

Roy and Riza both stood up, Riza picking up his coat and while he dusted off the back of his pants. "You have a-" Roy delicately removed the small green leaf from the back of her hair, having gotten caught in the clip when she was resting.

"Oh, thanks." He offered it to her and Riza put it in her pocket.

"Must've been trying to avenge its fallen brother." Roy finished picking the leaf shreds off his jacket and dusted a few off her sleeve.

"Unfortunately, I assume the tree didn't hear about us being unstoppable."

Us. Roy liked the sound of it.

Riza...not so much.

Rebecca did not appear amused when she walked into the dorm and found Riza in pajamas with a thousand books open around her. That was quickly so clearly not the plan.

"Rize, thought you were coming with us tonight!" Riza might be new but she could see the beginnings of a pout forming and decided to just head that off.

"Right. I am." She was getting more comfortable with the group and had no qualms about going, but was slow on remembering that she was wanted/expected places.

"We have some time, I think the guys said they'd be at the house around 8."

Heymans and Jean had snagged a small house on the edge of campus, using Heyman's status as a senior to their full advantage. The original plan was to have Roy and Maes live there too, but they were so late getting their housing forms in the two were lucky they could even get a dorm. While Riza couldn't imagine all four guys living in the compact space, it was the easiest location to congregate at, and still the largest and ground zero for parties. She hadn't worked to be included, and they, except for trying to get her out of her shell a little, hadn't pushed. She was a natural piece of their group from the moment she'd sat down for breakfast the first time and the excursions to what was essentially their HQ cemented it.

The two story house had the perfect ambiance of "guess how many students have lived here over the years?' and she noted a hole in the wall with a frame surrounding it and a plate underneath. **October 1906, Rebecca Catalina,** Riza hadn't heard that particular tale yet but there was also a hole in the backyard that was unexplained and the whole property had a general veneer of too many good times.

Riza hummed in acknowledgment, getting up and stretching. She pulled off her oversized T Shirt and reached for a blue skirt on a hanger next to her, frowning when the shirt she wanted wasn't there. She attempted to continue to read and spoke to Rebecca without taking her eyes off the page. "Do you have that black shirt of mine, the one with the blue swirl detail thing?"

Rebecca clapped her hand over her mouth, barely stopping a loud gasp. Riza didn't notice, still hovering over her textbooks while pinning back her hair and inadvertently giving her roommate a view of every inch of her scarred back For a moment she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of her friend's back. Rebecca felt a little sick thinking about what could have done that and why someone would, to Riza of all the people in the world.

"Gracia probably has it, I'll be right back!" She could tell she sounded much too chipper, but Rebecca found she couldn't adjust her tone to anything resembling normal. She nearly ran down the hall to Gracia's room and let herself in without knocking. Sheska began to say hi but stopped immediately when she took note of Rebecca's face. Gracia did the same, but moved towards her friend while Sheska immediately slipped out of the door. Whatever was going on, the younger girl felt very much like she was trespassing.

"Becca... what's wrong? What happened?" The woman in question caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She was white as a sheet, her face twisted and eyes half filled with tears. For once, see didn't seem to know what to say.

"Riza...I…" Rebecca paused for a minute, looking up and blinking quickly so she didn't cry. "Who would do that to someone?"

Gracia sat Rebecca down on Sheska's newly vacated chair and crouched in front of Rebecca, holding her hands and maintaining eye contact. "What do you mean, what's happened to Riza?" She was beginning to worry, wondering if their friend was lying hurt somewhere. She was about to ask if Roy had done something to upset her, but Rebecca was gearing up to try to clarify why she'd torn down the hall

"I don't know what happened but her back Jesus Gracia her back..." Thinking about what a caring person Riza was juxtaposed with the scars pushed her over the edge and she felt the tears start, not taking a single breath in her less than complete explanation.

"Becca, talk to me. Is Riza in danger?" That was the most important part and she wasn't getting any information from Rebecca's dramatics. Whatever she'd seen, or happened, had given her such a shock she was barely registering that Gracia was talking and not being helpful in the least.

Rebecca shook her head. "No. They look old. There are these scars all across her back. They're huge. Whole back-level huge."

It was Gracia's turn to be shocked, but she still had to deal with Rebecca's before she could work on her own. "Does it look like someone hurt her?" Gracia's patience didn't wane, though for once she did have to put a little work into it.

Rebecca nodded. That didn't seem to be something that was up for debate. It certainly wasn't an accident. There was a person out there willing to disfigure someone, inflicting what looked like an unimaginable amount of pain on Riza. _Their_ Riza.

"Should I ask her about it?" She still wasn't much of a talker but with a little prodding she'd open up at least a bit to both of them.

"I'm not sure...she didn't tell us for a reason. Let her come to you and try not to be upset around her." It would be hard for both of them, Gracia only imagining what had Rebecca in such distress. Riza was perceptive and they had to tread lightly, something Rebecca wasn't great at. "Come on, I'll go back with you, I could use some advice about Maes." She wasn't sure if that was true or not, but Gracia was the only one of the group with her head on straight so Rebecca followed her lead.

"No luck with the shirt but I did find Grac-" Rebecca started to talk as she was opening the door and stopped when she saw Riza sitting cross legged on her bed, looking down and playing with the hem of the missing top she'd finally discovered. About 5 seconds after her roommate disappeared Riza looked over her shoulder and caught a glance of herself in the mirror.

 _Oh._

 _Shit._

The deep red patches and calloused scars crisscrossed most of her back and stood out against the formerly perfect lines of ink from the small of her back to the base of her neck. There was no way Rebecca hadn't noticed.

She wasn't ready to talk about it but she also didn't want it to hang in the air. This was a moment she'd been dreading since it had happened and she hadn't had to tell anyone at all about it; she hadn't slipped up once in the years it had been there.

"You saw." She said, locking eyes with a distraught Rebecca and a concerned Gracia. "I'm sorry." They flanked her on either side. Both wanted to hug her but weren't sure if that would be okay. Rebecca felt like she'd already invaded her personal space plenty by running to Gracia, who didn't feel great about it either.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Gracia's voice was soothing as always. "But we're here if you do." She took Riza's hand, as did Rebecca. "We're always here."

Riza was overwhelmed by both her friends and didn't let go of their hands.

 _I don't know how I thought I could hide it forever... though a girl can dream._

"I should probably figure out how to explain it." Riza paused, trying to find the right words, not the first or the last time "I haven't yet. Explained it I mean." She didn't like having a plan, or the right words, or less than 100% control of a situation.

It dawned on her friends that whatever had been done to her, it sounded like no one else in the world knew. They were nearly certain when she took a deep breath

"My father spent his entire life locked away doing research. He'd always been focused with his work in the military but when my mother passed it consumed him. He spent years perfecting some kind of weapon, one he refused to discuss. When he was done, he deemed it so monumental that it was too sensitive to write down." She took a deep breath and let go of their hands, getting up and turning around with her back to them. She hesitated, starting and stopping before tugging the shirt over her head. "Too sensitive to write down on paper."

Gracia understood why Rebecca had come to her in tears. The formula only explained part of what they were seeing, though, most of that was thoroughly disfigured. "Oh, Riza." It was hardly a whisper but she couldn't help it. What she was saying was unthinkable and she had a bad feeling about where things were going.

"When he was dying, he wanted to take his secrets with him." She took a deep breath. "He chose to destroy pieces of it so no one would be able to continue his work...or contradict him. From what I understand, he burned off the most important parts." She could help but shudder a little at the memory of the pain and the subsequent healing process. "It doesn't hurt. I was young, it's long healed." If Riza thought that made it better she was very mistaken. And it was a lie besides. She had only done so well, trying to take care of it herself, and a patch on her shoulder made itself known when the weather was bad. She liked the rain about as much as Roy.

"My father said even what was left behind could be dangerous. I don't know if i that's true but I've kept it a secret since then." It was easier to use that excuse than the equally true self loathing the marks inspired. Not that she'd had anyone to tell until then.

Riza found a robe on Becca's bed and fought looking at her friends, best friends and her first friends if she was honest. Gracia hugged Riza tightly, tears in her eyes. She didn't say anything, everything she needed to tell her she conveyed with the single movement. "That had to have been difficult." How long had those scars taken to heal? It broke Gracia's heart to pieces at the thought of a young Riza dealing with her father and trying to, honestly, not succumb to infections because of what he did and the injuries he inflicted. It was a level of trauma she wasn't prepared for, she knew she'd been lucky growing up with her sweet, doting parents but this put how easy she'd had it into perspective.

"Not really, my old university was close to my home so I didn't live on campus."

Rebecca quickly did the math and, just when she didn't think she could get any more upset…."Have you been living alone until now?" If she had been in her early teens when her father died, and she was more than halfway through college…Rebecca didn't know what it felt like to not be surrounded by family and came to the same conclusion as Gracia. Why had she ever, even for a moment, thought her life wasn't close to ideal?

"Yes." It didn't bother her, it was how life was and most of the time life meant she was by herself, but they looked horrified. _This is why you don't share, Riza._ She wondered if she could have made up some kind of story, if that would get them to stop looking at her like that.

Her regret at having said anything was palpable. and the topic wasn't pushed any farther. "Does Mustang know?" Becca was still trying to keep her feelings under control and didn't think it would be a sensitive question, until Riza shook her head a little too emphatically.

"No. I don't want to tell him. I don't know how for one. And I don't want him to look at me the way you two are." It wasn't an insult but she wasn't trying to hide how she felt about their pity. She didn't have any other experience to measure it against, though….maybe this was the normal reaction? That would be less than ideal.

"He cares about you so much."

"And if that's true I don't want it to change, not because something like this." Gracia could be correct, but Riza knew for a fact that she was as well. Roy was one of the last people she wanted to tell, as a matter of fact. If he did even like as much as they said.

Rebecca seemed to return to the rest of them, coming back from her shell shock. "No way it would, he'd follow you to hell like a puppy if you asked. He's a thickheaded, self absorbed narcissist but he's a self absorbed narcissist who would do anything for people he cares about." She loved to talk shit behind his back and generally screw with him, but in reality Mustang was the most loyal friend she'd ever had no-matter how often she messed with him.

"AKA..., knowing about what was done to you won't change how Roy feels. Which is adorably infatuated."

"Face it, you're pretty lovable." Riza didn't think that described her in the least and the only response to Rebecca's interjection was a raised eyebrow from her and a second from Gracia for cutting her off.

"...Just keep that in mind. How Roy feels, and how are great you are, even if you think I'm lying." Gracia got Riza to smile and followed suit. "Tell him when you're ready, your secret's safe with us." She paused and couldn't stop her smile dropping in regret. "I'm sorry you had to tell us."

It was completely silent for a few seconds and Gracia worried she'd said something wrong. Riza was a private person and this was probably the last thing she wanted. "It was going to happen at some point and I'm grateful it was you." Rebecca joined Gracia with her arms around Riza, no one letting go for a long time. When a worried Jean called their room to see where the girls were Rebecca declared a ladie's night and left the men to their own devices, each of them unsure at how that would play out but couldn't think of being anywhere else.

They stayed true to their word, even if Riza caught Rebecca looking at her and trying to be sneaky about it a few times over the following days-but not with the pity Riza had dreaded. It was more like she was trying to figure out a way to help her fix something that was already done. But in general she felt like a weight had been lifted off her. When she thought about Roy though, that weight returned with a vengeance.

She'd accepted that she cared about him, more than she would like, and her friends weren't shy about reminding her he felt the same. While she would have liked that to be true, he hadn't asked her out or done anything together except walk to and from class with her. Otherwise, they were with the rest of the group and she was beginning to doubt Rebecca once again. It made her heart sink a little but it was absolutely for the best.

"Soooo I know we said we'd host tonight but I have two papers that need writing." Breda cemented their earlier decision to have a quiet night. Dinner had been uneventful, as had the week, and it seemed that it would end the same way. The middle of the semester had them all suffocating under piles of work, so much so that both the slackers and the studiers were burned out. It might be Friday, but as Rebecca attempted to spin it, if they could get a little work out of the way, the weekend would open up to more interesting activities. Though that was after her idea of 'who cares?' was shot down by a stressed out Maes and wasn't any more useful.

Riza started off towards the library after everyone dispersed for the day and bit back a smile when a familiar mop of black hair fell in step beside her. He seemed anxious and for once when she looked at him he wasn't looking at her, but straight ahead and with the utmost determination.

"Roy? Are you ok?" He didn't seem to hear her and she opened her mouth to ask again when he looked at her, the flush across his cheeks deepening the longer it took to say it.

"Will you go out with me tomorrow?" He blurted it out, knowing if he didn't ask at that moment it would take forever to get the guts it required to ask again. Riza tilted her head, waiting for him to look at her again and not down at his shoes.

"I know you don't think you can dance, but there's this place and I can teach you if you want but I…" He trailed off, willing the colour to leave his face and accomplishing the opposite. "..I would, I mean if you want to, to spend more time with you." He stopped walking, realizing they were already at the library. If he looked at her he would have seen she was as red as he was.

"It's a date." She went for the building's doors as soon as she realized what she'd said. She was going to humiliate herself….her quick exit left Roy out front slightly stunned and grinning ear to ear.

"I'll see you at 9!" Roy, completely forgetting that he actually had business there, bolted away from the library. For once, he had gossip he wanted to share with Maes before Maes found out himself. Catalina had been right, she had said yes. And screwing this up was not an option. Now that it was out in the open he could run his plans past his friends, hoping he'd come up with something good.

AN: Next up: The Big Date. Shoutout as always to PurpleMaple, couldn't ask for a better beta duckling! And please! Let me know what's off about who, some of the scenes were a bit difficult to keep in character :) My computer keyboard is also kind of a joke so please excuse any missing last letter of the alphabet, my laptop is truly a troll.

~Allison


	3. One More Dance

This chapter is a tad shorter than the others but hopefully the fluff makes up for it! I set this in the same place PurpleMaple and I set Roy and Riza's Fancy Party-Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Look it up, it's amazing!

Didn't have Purple beta this as I wanted to surprise her, so as always, let me know what's OOC-and enjoy!

~Allison

* * *

Riza flipped through the dresses in Gracia's closet, more nervous than she expected. It wasn't like she and Roy hadn't been spending time together, but this was very different. School had held them back from going on the first date for a few weeks after Roy had first asked and all that accomplished was making them both more and more nervous. They tried to hide it but their friends ate it up and pretended they were convincing in their nonchalance.

"What about this one?" She pulled out a pale lavender dress that fell just above her knees. Small pearl buttons ran from the top of the high back down to the waist and perfectly hid the remnants of her tattoo. Unlike what Rebecca had been trying to put her in, this one was much more her taste. Why Becca kept reaching for the shortest skirts she could find, Riza couldn't figure out and Rebecca refused to explain with anything beyond a smirk.

"That colour would be lovely on you, Riza." Gracia motioned for her to try it on. "I might have shoes for that as well." Gracia disappeared underneath her bed to investigate while Riza changed into the dress as instructed. Rebecca cheered from her spot on Gracia's mattress, nearly kicking her in the process.

"Wear that one!" She had declared that for every outfit, but this time Riza agreed. "Twirl! You _are_ going dancing after all." She obliged, the skirt fanning out slightly as she spun and wondered how badly she was about to embarrass herself.

"Perfect!" Her friends said it in unison, cementing the choice. A pair of low black heels finished the look and earned more nods of approval. She reached up to pull her hair into its customary clip when Gracia stopped her. It was like a reflex and she had barely registered the action.

"I don't know if you've noticed, he stares extra hard when you let your hair down." Rebecca laughed in agreement with Gracia. They were going to keep the whole 'really though, you can kill him with those legs' to themselves, it would be infinitely more entertaining to see her find out for herself.

"Most guys have a preference, boobs or asses. With Mustang though, it's a bit different." Well that was fortunate, she didn't have much in the way of either of first two. She felt like she was missing something but Rebecca literally had her face in a vice worthy grip, insisting on putting at least a little makeup on their usually au natural blonde. Gracia draped a deep blue shawl around her shoulders to keep any cold at bay and after another spin was deemed almost too gorgeous. The over the top compliments were nice, but one of the harder adjustments for her.

Riza convinced her friends not to follow her downstairs to heckle Roy, though she knew they'd be spying. He was leaning against a car right out front, dressed up and grinning before he even saw her. There was a button open at the collar of his pressed white shirt and a tie sticking out of a pocket of the dark blue coat she'd come to develop an affection for. He'd tried to control his hair by slicking it back and had mostly succeeded, with a few pieces refusing to cooperate no matter what he, or Maes, tried. Riza wasn't the only one with nerves and a peanut gallery and he didn't think he'd ever get out of Havoc and Hughes' clutches.

"You look..wow." He was at a loss for words and hoped that would do for the moment.

"Thank you." She blinked at how handsome he was and willed herself not to blush. "You look nice too." She took his offered arm and nodded towards the vehicle behind him. "Since when do you have a car?"

"Eh….Breda does."

"Roy…?" She tried to stop the corners of her mouth from turning up with the unasked question and failed. She hadn't seen any of the hijinks he supposedly masterminded but completely believed that he was indeed the mastermind. She wondered what kind of stunt he'd pulled but didn't have to wait long.

"I promise, I asked first." He opened the passenger door with a rakish grin and closed it after she was in, moving to the driver's side and attempting for one last time to adjust the mirrors to compensate for the height difference between him and his friend. With no luck, he hit the gas and peeled away from the dorm and ultimately away from the school completely.

"Where are we going exactly?" She hadn't done much to get her bearings outside of the University's campus, but there seemed to be plenty of places within walking distance for a date.

"It's a surprise."

"Hm." Riza settled back in the seat, getting comfortable. The longer they drove the more curious she became. "If you wanted to run away I would've liked some warning so I could pack a bag." He laughed and glanced at her for a second, seeing the glimmer in her eye.

"Sorry, spur of the moment thing. I hear the South is nice."

"We're going in the wrong direction, then."

"Nah, this is the scenic route."

"Pretty scenic then..I've always been curious about the West. Right direction too."

They bantered over the pros and cons of fleeing to different parts of Amestris and the surrounding nations for the rest of the drive. "Sadly for now this'll have to do." He had nearly missed the turn, maneuvering just in time and managing to save face. Roy turned the headlights off and slowed down considerably, something she didn't mind. No wonder Roy didn't have a car. She wasn't certain if he even had a license. It took a minute before she saw any indication of where they were. Riza wasn't so sure she hadn't been pulled into one of his plots when she did.

 _Blue River Gardens and Arbory_

 _Monday-Thursday 9am-7pm_

"...I think it's closed." He was pressing his lips together, fighting to keep from smiling. She saw a grin creep across his face as he failed and raised her eyebrow.

He didn't say anything, continuing past a main entrance and following the twisting, ever-narrowing road until they couldn't go any further. Roy made sure to get to Riza's door before she could open it herself, even if she laughed at him, he was enjoying his attempt to be a gentleman and hoped it was working. He started towards a dimly lit greenhouse behind a set of ornate metal gates meant to keep interlopers out. Before Riza could remind him she wasn't tall enough to jump the fence, not to mention she wasn't dressed for mischief and neither was he, Roy produced a set of keys.

"Someone owed me a favour." He said by way of an explanation. He'd come to this place on a few field trips growing up, but hadn't thought about it in years. If memory served, he'd have to thank Hughes for the suggestion. And Denny for the keys.

"Now you sound like a politician."

He was preoccupied flipping through the ring but winked. "Guess I'm learning something at school after all. And I promise, this is worth it." Once he'd opened the gate, he had to fumble a little more to find the one for the particular greenhouse he'd set his sights on earlier that week.

Roy managed to get the heavy door open, stepping into the huge enclosure and gesturing for Riza to come through as well. It was much warmer inside, a few drops of dew clinging to the walls from the temperature difference. Certain plants had lights concentrated above them keeping the space dim but not dark and offering the answer to where the ambient heat came from. The moon shone through the glass roof, shedding more light on the vines creeping up the matching glass walls and the rows of flowers keeping warm for the approaching cold season. Three small streams, each running the length of the greenhouse, met at a fountain sitting directly in front of them, the blue lights underneath the water combined with the warming lights gave everything a slightly unearthly glow. The light purple tiles covering the floor were constantly interrupted by small trees in pots and garden beds of flowers they didn't know the names of. It was warm, breathtaking, and all theirs.

"I thought we were going dancing..." Out of season flowers that should have been long dead or dormant filled the greenhouse wall to wall and floor to ceiling, though in that moment Riza was thoroughly distracted by the petals of a nearby orchid. The light in her eyes made it easy to guess her favourite flower.

 _Got it._ If he played his cards right and didn't screw this up, that was good information to have. _December, Orchids._

"Who said we aren't?"

Riza looked around. There was plenty of open space in the center of the room around the three tiered fountain but a distinct lack of music, usually a fairly integral of the dancing process. He seemed to read her mind and discarded his coat, delicately removing her wrap and setting them both on a nearby bench.

"It'll be easier to get the basics down without music." She wasn't so sure but had played along this far and decided she might as well continue.

Roy took her hand and placed his other at the small of her back, hers resting lightly on his shoulder. In just a few steps Roy saw he had been right; she wasn't nearly as bad as she seemed to think and lessons were definitely not necessary.

He spun her lightly, skirt flaring and hair trailing as he pulled her back to him. She squeezed his hand when they met and Roy was almost certain his heart stopped. He dipped her, taking her by surprise and not missing a beat as he swung her back up to him, holding her for a moment before catching himself and stepping back into a waltz.

"You're awfully good at this." They were both blushing bright red but the lighting mostly hid their flushed faces.

"My foster mother insisted on lessons. She was hoping it would make me more of a gentleman."

"And did it?" He chuckled and shrugged as much as he could without throwing them off.

"Jury's out on that one, you'll have to let me know."

"Duly noted. So far, I'd say you're not doing too badly."

"She'll be glad to hear it."

Riza couldn't remember a time she'd laughed so much as they spun around, Roy juggling the steps and conversation with both practiced and natural grace while she found following his lead as natural as breathing.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed that way and she wasn't either, not caring in the least about the time and enjoying the others company too much to for the clock to cross their minds. Eventually though, both ran out of breath and slowed to a stop though didn't move apart.

Riza glanced Roy's shoulder and saw what looked like a small river weaving through the grounds behind them, though it was hard to tell in the dark. Roy followed her line of sight and turned back to her.

"How would you feel about a walk?"

Roy nodded along with her suggestion and grabbed their things. "Where to?"

Riza pondered his question and skimmed the rolling hills and paths stretching in every direction, choosing one that would lead them deeper through the grounds and along the man made waterways. They passed small waterfalls and fountains, everything lined with plants and landscaped to perfection. The water they were following branched out and became noticeably wider, necessitating a bridge to get any further. They stopped halfway across and took in what sights they could, mostly relying on moonlight and a few scattered lamps to do so. Roy paid more attention to her than their surroundings in the most cliched way and even if he recognized it, he couldn't stop himself. He reached out and took her hand, staring straight ahead and visibly tense in case the gesture wasn't well received. She shifted and laced her fingers through his, leaning a little closer with a definite sparkle in her eyes.

"This place is amazing." If she had caught Roy staring, Riza didn't say anything. "Thank you for bringing me here." It was a night out that would be hard to top...and the flowers were nice too.

Seeing how happy she was put any worries about his choice of plans to rest. "I'm glad you like it." Roy pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, his hands falling to rest at her hips and hers on his arms.

They weren't sure who started the kiss. It seemed like they were moving at the same time, as a single person. Riza ran her hands up his arms to the back of his neck, unsure of what to do but for once decided to stopped analyzing and let herself live in the moment. Roy slid his hands from her hips to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him until she could feel the warmth of his chest pressed against her own. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands in his hair accidentally undoing Maes' careful work. Roy only broke the kiss when Riza shivered.

He slid out of his coat and once again wrapped it around her before Riza could protest.

"Roy, it's fine, I'm not cold." He had met his match in stubbornness but was not to be deterred. She didn't mention the movement had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the company. "At this point I practically own your own jacket."

Riza thought she was pointing out that he was being ridiculous but he liked the idea. "You should keep it. It suits you." The dark blue complimented her light hair and wide brown eyes and it seemed to be made with her in mind, even if it was a bit big. If he was being honest, he had been looking for reasons to give it to her. That fact that it smelled like her perfume whenever she returned it was also a bonus. The woman in question pulled her arms through the sleeves, stuffing her wrap into one of the pockets with the tie Hughes had made Roy bring along. She had to admit, not only was the slightly-too-large garment comfortable, but the smell of his aftershave and cologne lingered and she didn't argue.

Roy straightened the collar and kissed her cheek, nodding in approval. Riza took his hand and started walking along the bank, her attention shifting between their surroundings and Roy. She was certain their friends had been exaggerating how much he'd liked her before they met and still hadn't figured out why he did. Even though he'd more or less confirmed he had some kind of feelings for her that night she still called bullshit on Maes' ridiculous jokes about love at first sight. He had gone from teasing them to being their number one fan and Roy couldn't decide which was more embarrassing. At least Riza only heard mabye a tenth of it...his best friend saved most of the commentary for Roy.

They found a bench surrounded by trees ready to drop their leaves close enough to hear the nearly hypnotic sounds of the artificial waterfall a few yards away. Riza laid her head on his shoulder and Roy wrapped his arm around her, both getting comfortable on the bench and with each other. He rested his chin on the top of her head and kissed her hair, verifying his earlier assumption of lavender shampoo. She made a small noise and while he was worried he'd overstepped, she just snuggled a little closer.

They mostly sat in silence, the most comfortable quiet either had experienced.

"As much as I don't want to…" Riza moved to look up at him and fought not to blush. It wasn't like he hadn't been doing the same to her but she wasn't used to this. She had never been on a date in the first place so everything was uncharted territory, really.

"We should probably head back." He finished the sentence as begrudgingly as she started it and stood up, holding out his hand to her.

"But...one more dance before we go?" Roy hadn't been expecting that and swept her up in his arms, twirling her around and getting a laugh before setting her down and obliging. Unlike in the greenhouse, this was slow and the moves didn't matter nearly as much as his partner. They mostly just shifted from one foot to the next, never breaking eye contact and Riza daring to plant a small kiss on his lips. Roy was certain he could die happy right there but refused, hoping there were many more moments like this in their future.

They took their time getting back to the car and Riza yawned after Roy closed the car door behind her. The drive home was mostly quiet, Roy's hand on her knee and Riza covering it with her own. The warmth radiating through her palm did all the talking for them and it took Riza a long time to place the feelings beyond the near constantly skipping of her heart. She was comfortable, she was content. And for once, she wasn't lonely.

Leaving the car was a repeat of leaving the garden. They stalled as long as possible but after he felt his eyes getting heavy Roy knew he had to get the car back to Breda and didn't feel like falling asleep doing so. As Riza got out she starting to shrug off his coat but Roy winked. She smirked and shook her head, putting it back on and rising on her toes to kiss him goodnight. Despite their best efforts, it took them a little bit to finally break apart for the night, even if they did make plans for the next day.

Rebecca was audibly tapping her foot when Riza walked into her room, her fingers absentmindedly brushing her lips while she smiled. There was no way to save face so she just turned the brightest shade of red and turned her smile at her friends. She was surprised to see Gracia as well, and both were looking back at her expectantly.

"Weren't you supposed to go out with Maes tonight?" Riza slipped off her shoes and slid them into the bathroom. They'd gotten a bit of mud on them and she refused to return them to Gracia until they were back in perfect condition.

Gracia giggled. "We did, and then came back, spent some time here with the others, and then the guys went home." Riza looked at the clock behind her, seeing how late they'd really been out.

"...Oh."

"Loverboy better have been behaved. Keeping you out till 4:30 in the morning…" Rebecca tutted like a disapproving grandmother.

Riza smiled. "Perfect gentleman, I promise." She was grilled for details and even his harshest judge was impressed by the end, though they did have some comments.

"Oh really? You know, you guys were right under the window here for quite a bit…" Rebecca puckered her lips in an exaggerated kiss and blew it at Gracia, who caught it with a swoon. Riza didn't have a retort for that but her friends weren't going to keep poking at her and instead gushed about how happy she looked. Riza was opening up to them but they weren't going to push her like their more….extroverted cohorts. Besides, they had a lot to feel guilty about and their own evenings were weighing on them.

"Well, Roy certainly doesn't do anything halfway." Gracia's comment felt like the understatement of the decade.

xxxxxxxx

On the other side of campus and earlier in the evening, Jean sat alone in his room trying to focus on the book of classical poetry he had to finish- sooner rather than later. He'd put it off until the very last minute, electing to abandon books in favour of Becca the night before. They ended up having a bit too much to drink and unlike her usually tipsy, bubbly antics, she'd gotten very quiet and very sad. At one point she'd told him everything about Riza and while she was naturally dramatic, she had been scarily matter of fact. When he asked her in the morning she was furious with herself and begged him not to tell, proving his assumption that she'd set aside any exaggerations. Even though he promised, it was eating at him and he couldn't put it out of his mind. Riza was his friend too and he, like the girls, realized how fortunate he'd been to have never encountered any abuse like what Becca had described. On the other side of that, though, he was as lost as the rest of them as to what to do, if there even was anything to be done.

He glanced at the time and hoped Gracia and Maes hadn't left yet. Even if he couldn't talk to the guys he had to talk to someone. He shuffled over to the phone and punched in the number to Gracia's. To his dismay, Hughes answered.

"What in the world are you doing calling my beautiful girlfriend, Jean Havoc?" Hughes was jovial but Havoc couldn't pretend to match him.

"I just had a question about Becca, figured she could help."

"You sure buddy? You sound weird."

Suddenly Maes' voice was gone, replaced with Gracia's. "Jean?"

"She told me." Her sigh was audible. It didn't take a genius to realize what he'd found out.

"Rebecca, or Riza?"

"Becca. She didn't mean to and told me not to tell anyone but I have to know...is it true? And as bad as she said?"

There was a pause, Gracia trying her best to give him the answers she knew he desperately needed, as she had needed them herself, without alerting Maes.

"Yes, it is, and yes, it is." It wasn't something Rebecca would embellish, and it would be hard to make it sound worse besides.

The silence on the other end of the line said volumes.

"I know." She was as close as she got to angry and getting closer by the second. Gracia had wanted to tell Maes the second they left the room but couldn't bring herself to break Riza's trust.

"Did she tell Roy?"

"No, she's not ready and doesn't want to."

"What?!" The shout was so loud Maes heard and she mentally cursed Jean. "Why? He would never-"

"That's not for us to decide. Please respect that, Jean." She sounded more authoritative than either man had heard and Maes was dying to know what they were talking about. Nothing got his wonderful Gracia so mad... "Rebecca's in for the night while Riza and Roy are out, and Maes and I are leaving soon as well. I'm sure she wouldn't mind the company."

"Right. Sorry Gracia. Did Hughes hear me?"

"Probably. And I understand how you're feeling, trust me. Go talk to Rebecca but leave Riza out of this."

"Of course. Thanks, Gracia Sorry for yelling." He didn't feel better to have it confirmed but she was right; being with Becca would be good.

They said their goodbyes and when she hung up she was facing a worried Maes.

"Gracia?" He reached out and gently wiped the single tear that had fallen on her cheek, though she looked more furious than upset. "Did something happen to Riza?"

She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "She trusted us. Rebecca isn't' great at keeping secrets but she should have respected this one." Maes grabbed her hand and tilted her chin up to look at him. She was never agitated like this.

He repeated her name and she snapped out of it, the anger welling in her too uncomfortable to maintain. Now it was her turn to betray her friend. She bit her lip, arguing with herself before she did. "Riza's father tattooed his research on her and then burned it off. As she puts it, she's long healed. Please don't ask any more and please don't tell Roy. She trusted us with something she never shared with anyone and we've broken that promise nearly as quickly as she told us." She barely took a breath as she spoke and it wasn't any wonder that she was upset.

Maes pulled her close, arms protectively around her. Roy would want to know but as he'd heard Gracia say, it wasn't their place. "It'll be ok." He it said softly into her hair even as tears of frustration dampened his formerly pressed shirt. He wasn't sure what else to say, but it would be. Between the whole group they'd make up for whatever was in her past, give her a new family. They were already family themselves, it was only a matter of time before Riza joined in. The girls must have been stewing in this for days, their cliquey behaviour making total sense with context. He'd assumed they were just being girls, which while objectively true was pretty far off the mark.

* * *

Roy yawned all the way from dropping off the car keys to his room, though he wouldn't change anything about the night for the world. Actually that wasn't true. He would have much preferred it to last a little longer, even if they were running out of 'night'.

He was surprised that Maes was fast asleep when he walked in. He'd been expecting a similar inquisition to the one Riza went through and while he wouldn't mind nearly as much as usual he fell into bed, smiling as he drifted off.

* * *

Riza had more trouble falling asleep. She couldn't get her nerves to slow, even though Roy wasn't at her side anymore. She didn't like that feeling at all and picked up his jacket from where she'd left it hanging on a chair, secretly glad she had it with her, though she'd have to return it for a moment so it would smell like him again. She finally dozed off, wrapped in the thick fabric and wondering what other surprises life had in store for her. There certainly wasn't a lack of them lately.

* * *

Next up: Halloween shenanigans.


	4. The Goddesses

"Don't answer that." Riza didn't look up from her book when she heard Rebecca's key in the lock. She lay on her stomach, a novel open in front of her and a small scowl on her face.

"Why not?" Rebecca eyed the phone curiously as it stopped ringing.

"I'm hoping they'll get the hint and stop calling."

"...who?"

Riza sighed and rolled over onto her back, moving enough to look at Rebecca. "The military. " Becca blinked, tilting her head in an unasked question. "They've been trying to get me to replace my father since the day I turned 18. I think they think I have the secrets to his work, or that I can work it out for them." She laughed bitterly. They had no idea. "It doesn't seem to matter what I say, about once a month I get a rash of calls. Looks like they followed me here, too. Took a little bit at least."

Rebecca, in the middle of changing, paused. "Do they know, about your.." she gestured to her back and Riza shook her head.

"No. If they did I would already be a science experiment. I've tried but I just can't figure out how to get them off my back. Pun very much _not_ intended."

"Why'd they think you'd even be interested in the first place? Or know what he made?" Riza didn't seem the military type. While Rebecca could imagine her on a bad day barking orders and whipping unruly soldiers into shape, it certainly didn't seem like something she would choose or enjoy.

"Best guess, they're desperate to figure out exactly what he created and I'm the only chance they have."

"It's funny, they went after Mustang and Maes too." The past tense gave Riza hope but also piqued her curiosity.

"Why them? I mean...neither are fantastic at following orders, or general listening..." Things that she guessed were requisite for joining.

Rebecca smirked. "Both of 'em were at the top of their class, how Mustang pulled it off I don't know but word around campus is, if you graduated from a prominent secondary school with good marks the Fuhrer at least wants a look at you. They always need to throw more bodies at whatever war we're in that day."

"How'd they get them to stop?"

"Your boy got us kicked out of school, suddenly the little rebels were less appealing." While something she felt like she needed to know more about, that wasn't terribly helpful.

"Jean flew under the radar for a while, since we're from the middle of nowhere. When the recruiters came for him…" Rebecca couldn't finish as she had already started laughing from the memory. When she took a breath, she finished her tale. "He jumped into this mile a minute speech on how much he loved the frogs that secretly ran the country and how much he wanted to help serve them and protect the tadpoles. Half of it was in Xingese. Eventually they hung up, never heard from them again."

"Hopefully I don't have to get quite that creative." Riza paused and glared at her roommate. "He's not 'my boy'."

"Hate to break it to you Rie, but he most definitely is. Come on, you love it." That earned Rebecca a raised eyebrow as her only reply. The closer she got to Roy, the closer she got to worrying about hiding her scars. Feeling any kind of possessiveness or attachement made her nervous and wished they would stop gushing over her.

 _But...I_ _ **don't**_ _hate it..._

She could tell by Becca's face that she was holding back asking something and Riza rolled her eyes, mentally crossing her fingers it didn't have anything to do with her personal life. "What is it?"

She pulled what looked to be an easily 20 pound and 900 page book from behind her back. "Please help me study."

"I've never seen you study before and you go to class less than Roy."

"And now it's coming back to bite me in the ass. What can I bribe you with?"

The phone started to ring and Riza reached under her bed for her shoes. "A cup of tea on the way to the library."

"Deal. Do they really call over and over like that?"

"I made the mistake of picking up the first time so they know I'm here, it should stop soon, I'm sure they have other people to harass."

"Still. What did your dad make?"

"Pray we never find out." Riza wondered how long she'd be able to hide that one but was fairly confident she could die with that particular secret.

Riza took note as they passed by Gracia and Sheska's; the door to the room had been decorated to high heaven, to the extent that the actual piece of wood was nearly invisible through the smiling skeletons and grinning ghosts. "Is that something we're supposed to do?"

About three quarters of their floor had done something similar in the spirit of the approaching holiday and Rebecca and Riza were greeted with ghosts, mummies, and jack o lanterns pasted on doors or sitting out front of the rooms. The communal areas were just as festive and she had caught sight of a list of dorm-wide activities posted in the foyer. She thanked her lucky stars none of them were mandatory.

"Not if you don't want to. I tend to forget. Aaaaaand...speaking of Halloween…"

"I know, I know." She refused to make eye contact, wondering if this was the moment Becca would finally wear her down.

"But you have to get a costume before the party, you can't keep putting it off! You said you already had a plan for an outfit and everything but that was ages ago- and I haven't seen any evidence."

"That was a lie, I don't know what to dress as and was putting you off." Rebecca first appeared shocked but within the same second her eyes lit up. Even though they were nearly outside she turned around and dashed back to the room. Riza wondered if her friend was mad at her, but that was excitement, not rage, on her face. She wasn't sure which one was more worrying.

"...Becca?" She gestured to Riza to wait and came back, minus one textbook but plus one Gracia.

"I had the **best** idea. Just trust me." Gracia and Riza looked at each other with more than a little hesitation. "First, we need to go shopping." That didn't lessen their hesitation and Rebecca grabbed Riza and Gracia's hands to better drag them with her. Maes, on his way to see Gracia, spotted the girls and heard the words 'fabric store' and 'glitter' bandied about. He had a sinking feeling he was going to be a devil without an angel on his arm at Jean and Heyman's Halloween party and turned back to the dorm to warn Roy.

* * *

It took some time to get to the part of town Rebecca was aiming for, but it was a good excuse for Riza to take a better look around Central. She made a mental note to check out a bookstore they'd gone past, along with an antique shop with a vase she couldn't take her eyes off of prominently displayed in the window. She was distracted enough that she had fallen slightly behind, Gracia calling for her snapping her out of her thoughts and forcing her to pick up the pace to match both Rebecca's steps and enthusiasm. She didn't like being kept in the dark and even though her roommate had good intentions she would really rather know what the hell was happening.

"Do you trust me?"

Gracia and Riza looked back and forth between them and only got Rebecca's ire up in the process. "The right answer is yes, now come on!"

"Stop asking if we trust you, you have crazy eyes right now so you won't like the answer." Riza's joke was ignored and the three women disappeared into the store. And didn't surface for over an hour, weighed down with shimmering fabric, containers of glitter and powders, and fake flowers when they did. A flash of a smile from Gracia had one of the shop assistants carry their purchases to the girls' dorm without question and bumped into a confused Roy at the entrance.

"Ah-sorry sir! Um ladies, here are your things, thank you for shopping at Gessner Fabrics! We look forward to your continued patronage!" Something in Roy's eyes must have startled him; the teen was gone before Riza even noticed she'd been handed what would eventually be costume pieces.

"Um...hi?" He tried not to laugh since Riza looked a little frazzled and instead took the supplies off her hands. "Looks like you ladies had an eventful afternoon."

Rebecca snatched a few yards of cloth from his grasp and motioned for Gracia to come with her. "You can bring the rest to our room whenever you're done being gross and cute."

"So I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a drive, but it looks like Catalina's on a rampage." Maes had told him she was up to some kind of mischief and Roy had blown it off, but it seemed that Hughes had been right on the mark.

Roy and Riza hadn't been able to spend much time together outside the rest of the group, managing a few more coffee dates between the constant barrage of papers and tests Riza insisted on actually completing. Granted, his grades had gone up quite a bit as a result but he would've rather being doing many other things, none of them studying.

"She is, I think we're making Halloween costumes tonight." Roy took a look at the sheer choices Catalina had gathered and did not complain. "Also, does Heymans know how….well...you drive?"

"Hey, haven't crashed it yet." Roy followed her into the dorm to drop off their purchases. "I'll tell the others that you three are locked in here making…." He smirked. "...something to put the rest of the girls on campus to shame." Taking the chance of being mocked by Catalina, he leaned down and kissed Riza, giving her a look that clearly said 'call me if you need to be rescued' before being kicked out.

Once they were all alone again, Riza turned her attention to Gracia. "How did you do that? That kid must've walked a mile out of his way and didn't seem to mind. Until Roy scared him."

"You should've seen her before she met Maes. Girl is the most charming person on campus, Roy Mustang included. She just puts it away most of the time. Besides, Maes does anything she asks without her having to use that face." Rebecca waited for Gracia to contradict her. "That man has been hopeless since the moment he saw you."

"It's true." The woman in question sighed in contentment, hoping they'd be able to call it a night so she could see him, even if only for a minute. "What Becca doesn't understand is the concept of how being nice can get you a long way."

Rebecca ignored Gracia. She was _plenty_ nice.

"Ok, so I'm thinking Riza in the blue, Gracia in the green, and me in the purple. Any questions?"

They had thousands but wanted to see where it would go so instead Riza and Gracia each started on the tasks delegated to them.

* * *

Even though she felt ridiculous Riza had to admit all three of them would look pretty damn good. She had some serious doubts but as Rebecca's ideas started to come together, her friends agreed to the group outfit more enthusiastically and put more work into getting them done in time. Three days for three handmade outfits was ambitious enough that only the three of them could pull it off.

"You're lucky we know how to sew." Riza teased, putting the finishing touches on her own dress while Gracia did Rebecca's.

"I'm even luckier that you went along with this." Becca was busying herself getting things ready for their makeup and hair and dolling out accessories to match each breezy, barely there dress.

When there was no more work to do they took stock of their handiwork, got dressed, and were rightly impressed with themselves. They didn't have much time to be proud; they were already running a little behind and still had makeup to take care of. Riza hated not being on time and at this point they were absolutely going to be late to the party.

"Rebecca, this skirt is still awfully short." She had given up getting that to change the previous night, but really? The look of indignation when Riza had attempted to adjust the hem had taken her more than a little by surprise, with a promise that there was a reason.

"Oh, trust me." There was that terrifying glint in her eye again.

"I've been doing a lot of trusting you lately and it's ended with me in a tiny skirt dressed as a goddess." That was apparently the theme they were going for, though they could be any kind of gossamer beauties from fairies to sprites to, realistically, whatever they decided. No one was going to question who they were supposed to be once anyone laid eyes on them.

"And you look like one too!" Rebecca wasn't to be reasoned with, while Riza's face betrayed her uncertainty, even more so when she realized it was nearly time to head out. She had been stressed about being on time but now she wasn't ready to leave the comfortable, safe confines of their room. The colour choices set out for them seemed fairly arbitrary, as they were all subtle, barely pastel shades covered in lace and occasionally nearly translucent chiffon.

The costumes were similar, with small alterations to suit each girl. All three were slightly scandalous but Riza had the high collar she required, the coverage on her back mitigated by the blue lace panel that ran from her collar down to the high waist of her dress, making up for the opaque back and showing more cleavage than Riza had ever dared. The skirt didn't even make it past her fingertips and her lack of sleeves made her feel very, very exposed.

Gracia's, showing all the back that Riza wasn't, had added pale gold bell sleeves as an accessory to her halter-style dress. Not connected to her outfit at all, they started at her elbows and ran down to her wrists, any movement casting slightly surreal trails and making her look like an actual deity. Rebecca had gone the farthest, being the bravest of the three. Her dress was barely that, having discarded the idea in favor of two pieces of dusty purple, a skirt that made Riza more comfortable about her own hem and tiny matching top with silver guaze flowing behind her like a cape, perilously connected to her strapless, what could only be vaguely considered, top. She had an inch of toned midriff showing and it was clear Rebecca was confident in her appearance, preening in the mirror and winking at herself.

"You're going to blow him away. I can't wait to see Roy Mustang at a loss for words, I don't think that's ever happened before." Riza glanced at Gracia, who was applying a light dusting of glitter across her cheeks, but got a nod in agreement, along with a request to keep still.

Rebecca was taking care of her own hair, giving running commentary while pinning delicate plastic flowers in the curls piled on top of her head. Gracia's shorter hair had stumped her for a moment, until she found something that actually made her hair sparkle on its own just by spraying it. Gracia had pointed out it would never come out and she'd be glittering until they were old and gray but being Gracia, didn't complain and just let it happen. Her light brown hair bounced any light off it and in tandem with the gold accents made it hard to look away from her.

"Maes is going to have a heart attack. None of the guys are prone to speechlessness, this is going to be fun." Becca was completely certain in her assumptions and had been making them before the first stitch was sewn.

Riza's hair had been curled slightly so it fell in waves down her back, and a sort of crown made out of a string of pearls rested on her otherwise loose hair. One more round of shimmer for everyone and they were out the door, Riza tugging on her dress a little when Becca wasn't looking. The guys were waiting for them out front, for god only knows how long, and it took them all a minute to pick their jaws up off the sidewalk. Havoc wasn't even mad that he was only one half of what was going to be an outlaw's couple costume, or how long they had waited. He had the hottest girl on campus.

Becca laughed loudly as they tried to gather their wits. "We decided to go a new direction with our costumes."

Maes was able to snap out of it first and went to Gracia, declaring her the most radiant woman who had ever existed, and that included the goddesses they were dressed as. He was marveling at how much she sparkled and was pretty much lost to the rest of the group. Jean was much more direct, knowing Becks knew she looked hot but making sure to tell her nonetheless and earning squeals of delight from his over the top compliments. Roy was frozen even as his friends approached their dates, just staring at Riza and making her self conscious without knowing or being able to help it.

"Becca, you killed Roy." Jean could tell there was no question who had designed the costumes. Short skirts weren't exactly Riza's style but Mustang's love of miniskirts was a pretty consistent point of teasing and they had been right about how long Riza's legs went on for. Which was way longer than Roy was prepared for.

"Let's leave them to catch up for a bit." Maes smirked, shaking his head at Rebecca as he took Gracia's hand.

"That was low babe." Jean said, grinning as well and giving her a high five while they left with Maes and Gracia.

With her friends gone Riza was even less confident in her appearance. "I look ridiculous." She said it with a small chuckle, knowing that was how it was going to end up when Rebecca took the helm, but she couldn't read the look in his eyes to tell if he was thinking the same and instead looked away. Roy was almost too good looking and she didn't know if she was lucky or deeply the opposite to be on the arm of a maskless Phantom of the Opera. It would only make her look more laughable in comparison.

Riza didn't have the time to finish figuring out how embarrassed to be; by the time she got the guts to face Roy he was already in front of her, the kiss unexpected and sending a familiar shiver down her spine as he cupped her face in his hands to bring her closer.

In the back of her mind Riza remembered they were in front of the building and easily swung around the corner for a little privacy, taking Roy by surprise. He wasn't expecting a slap exactly, but certainly not this reaction. Riza had never taken the initiative before, and reacted to her forwardness they way he knew he would- with very little self control. He pressed her against the brick wall of the building, careful enough not to rip her flimsy outfit but just barely. The clatter of her headdress hitting the pavement didn't register for either of them, nor any other potential damage to their wardrobes.

She regained her senses quicker than Roy and when she pulled away her cheeks were tinted pink underneath the glitter. She hadn't noticed they were getting carried away with themselves until she'd started on the buttons on his vest. It seemed that both had weaknesses that had been exploited and if she knew it would be used against her, she never would have lent Gracia a copy of her favorite novel.

Riza straightened his hair, noting how red Roy was as well as she fixed his waistcoat. He retrieved the fallen pearls from the ground, adjusting them accordingly. His own hair was a lost cause and he wondered why he tried to flatten it at all, it never worked and the best case scenario involved Riza messing it up anyway. After a few deep breaths and glances, Roy laced his fingers through Riza's and started towards the party. She might not, but he was going to catch hell and so much mocking for coming in late and disheveled.

"You look beautiful, for the record."

"I got that feeling you might think that." She still felt like she looked silly but she saw other jaws drop as they went and observed Roy become slightly more annoyed each time. It seemed she was the only one who thought her costume was subpar.

"Becca put a decent sum on you getting into trouble tonight." Riza murmured, ignoring a catcall and squeezing his arm hard enough to get him to not jump the guy and keep walking.

 _Even if it wasn't Riza who thinks that's ok? I swear..._ He was still trying to be the best possible Roy in front of her so he bit his tongue and kept walking, even if she was the one who was steering him away from fisticuffs. Though, he did let go of her hand and wrap his arm around her shoulders, giving Riza the opportunity to slide her's around his waist. He was catching a few looks himself in his phantom of the opera suit and cape, his missing mask only showing that both sides of his face were equally attractive. If it hadn't been on purpose Riza had a feeling Maes had something to do with the missing piece of his costume; they couldn't seem to stop messing with the other and she found herself envious of their friendships. Reminding herself she was a part of it was taking her longer to acclimate to and accept than any of the others understood, Roy most of all.

It wasn't anything to look at, but the two story townhouse had a small backyard and, as Rebecca pointed out, space enough inside for a decent number of party guests. The carpeted floors had seen better days, mostly spilled drinks and a short episode involving Havoc adopting a squirrel. There had been an attempt at decoration, mostly things from the school and pictures of the group. She'd noticed that there were quite a few of them, at the house and in her dorm, Roys, and Gracia's, and wondered how they could afford to take so many photographs, but it was always the 6 of them without fail. Rebecca hadn't been kidding about it fitting a lot of people, the house was packed that night. Though the upstairs was blocked off and gave a bit of breathing room for any close friends that would need it.

The house was overflowing with attendees when they arrived, earning a frown from Roy. They hadn't wasted _that_ much time, had they?

Waste _isn't exactly the right word…._ but yes, their friends had beaten them but a not-small margin.

"I need to fix my watch." Roy muttered, a thought that crossed his mind regularly and something he never did anything about...he'd lose a valuable excuse for his consistent tardiness if he did after all.

"Didn't think you two would make it." Rebecca's wink was exaggerated and she had been preparing to continue, but Riza looked flustered so she decided to save her teasing for when she got Mustang alone. "I see you approve of our new costumes." Roy coughed but composed himself.

"Somehow I have a feeling you tried to make sure we wouldn't get here."

Rebecca managed to keep her face blank. "You're the one with the mini skirt thing."

"I don't have a thing." He tried to defend himself, albeit lamely.

Maes looked at his watch pointedly. "Yeah, not at all."

"Come on, let's get something to drink." Riza suggested, giving her roommate a look that demanded an explanation. So that was why her dress was cut so short...

Rebecca disappeared and came back with drinks for them, the others having spotted Roy and Riza enter and gathering around with their own glasses. "Here's to not getting arrested!" Roy raised his cup and Riza, Breda, Catalina, Havoc, Gracia and Maes did the same. "Or staying out of jail!"

Riza downed her drink with the rest but eyed them warily. "That's worryingly specific."

"That's the cheer, every year!"

"It's good luck." Breda finished Havoc's sentence for him.

"And how does that work out?"

A look passed between Roy, Hughes, Havoc, and Rebecca.

 _So, not well then._

"This is a story I want to hear." Riza said with a laugh, but knew they would put it off. A lot had happened before she had met her friends and at some point was going to force them to tell her at least one of the crazy stories sometimes alluded to. She still didn't' even know why they had been suspended. They were goofy, but in general harmless, if too smart for their own good.

They made their way through the house, Roy greeting everyone like he owned the place and Riza eventually peeling off to get a glass of water. Someone needed to keep some modicum of a clear head, though she was also determined to have a good time. They'd been there for longer than she'd lasted at any other party she'd attempted to attend and she wasn't dying to leave. It was a nice, though definitely tipsy, feeling.

Gracia met her in the kitchen, pouring a glass for herself and topping off Riza's. She'd momentarily lost Maes, who had gone to get another round for them and didn't return. "Sorry about the whole…. costume thing. You look fantastic, though."

"Sorry about _Roy's_ , you mean." Neither could pretend to be annoyed or taken aback. Gracia had done a damn good job on both of them.

"You told me all about how much you loved that novel, and trust me, you don't want to know what his first idea was."

"What…" Riza didn't even finish the question, instead completing the thought with a sigh. She might be new to the group but it was obvious they were up to something when Hughes' bellowing laugh carried down the hall. Jean yelled an affirmation just as loudly, quickly followed by a cheer from Rebecca. She ticked her eyes up just in time to see 5 troublemakers disappear up the stairs just beyond the kitchen. Both were silently debating whether or not to get involved when they heard Havoc yell for Hughe's help getting the window open.

"Oh dear, this again." Gracia gestured for Riza to follow her, and they ducked under the "No Guests Allowed" sign at the foot of the stairs. it took them all of 5 seconds to catch up with Roy, Maes, Jean, Breda, and Becca.

They didn't have access to the roof, something Jean and Heymans constantly lamented, and every time trying was mentioned it was quickly shut down. They did technically have roof space, but getting there wasn't terribly ideal, something Riza was quickly discovering.

The stairs turned halfway, creating a landing with a high bannister on one end and the not-terribly-large window against the wall. She could see that there was something solid on the other end, but how did they expect to get there? The window was probably 4 feet off the ground…

Maes and Jean had already made quick work of the window, pushing the glass up and out of their way.

"This never ends well." Gracia got their attention, the group of them looking at her like they'd been caught and chastised by their mother. It wasn't like she was going to stop them, of course, she'd join in, but she felt like she at least had to _say_ it.

It was easy for Jean and Maes to get out, simply hopping up on the sill and bending so they could get their considerable frames through the window. Gracia handed Maes her shoes while she jumped up, Havoc grabbing her waist to help her slip through. Breda and Roy followed, each having their own tactic while Rebecca followed Gracia's lead and let Jean help her.

"It's not graceful but it works!" Roy grinned and leaned out, holding his hand to Riza to get her out there with the rest of them. She took in the dimensions of the area again and, shaking her head to get him out of the way, took a small jump from the edge of the banister, and successfully landing on the ledge, eased herself outside

"Woah Riza the Gymnast!" Breda high fived her and she shook her head.

She tried to suppress a smile; she hadn't expected it to go quite so smoothly, especially taking her outfit into account. Her shoes were abandoned on the landing, but otherwise she was pleased with herself. Riza straightened her dress and got her bearings. The roof was smooth and felt solid underfoot, more than she had been expecting from something that required so much effort to get to. Taking a glance around, she noticed one of the reasons Gracia had had that defeated look in the kitchen. The space wasn't small, about 7x20, but there were no rails or barriers to keep their drunken loved ones from tumbling down to the backyard below.

"How many people have fallen off here?" Riza looked over the edge while Rebecca came up and roughly wrapped her arm around her shoulders, declaring her love for her roommate and throwing said roommate off balance and earning a rare Riza-glare. The grass was lush under them and close enough that she couldn't imagine anyone breaking any bones, though bruises and dignity were probably on the line. There were cans of beer set close to the window...someone knew they'd end up on the roof, and probably for a while. Riza didn't mind, as long as no one got hurt.

"More than a few. Well. Maybe two, if you don't count your boyfriend. Mustang!" She shouted and got his attention, pulling him away from what looked like a dramatic reenactment of something with Hughes. "How many times did you fall off this thing?"

"I...I don't want to talk about it!" He shouted back, counting on his fingers and then laughing with the others joining him. It was a rare moment for him, acknowledging the level of dumbass he could reach when he let his guard down around his friends. But he had taken a couple tumbles and there was no way around that fact.

Gracia shivered as a gust of wind kicked up and Maes was immediately at her side, chiding himself for bringing the girls outside. Earning three death glares from girls who could make their own choices. It _was_ getting cold, though, so their party on the roof was cut short. Gracia and Maes were the first to duck back through the window, Maes nearly falling in the process. The others followed suit, but Roy and Riza lingered behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she let her arms rest on his shoulders, her fingers laced behind his neck.

"Sorry." He shook his head, though Riza shook hers right back.

"For what?"

"For any stories you might hear." Riza cocked her head to the side. Tipsy Roy said this sort of thing sometimes, but she never really got why. The "stories" were goofy, making him out to be a dork more than a jerk or whatever he thought he was.

"I've heard plenty, and I'm still here." Roy bit his lip. She made a solid point and he mumbled 'lucky' under his breath and he rested his chin on the top of her head, sighing in contentment. They were happy there in their own space, though she was ready to join the festivities whenever he was. She'd spotted Rose and wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked but she'd lost the other woman in the crowd when her friends had found her and Roy. As if on cue, their moment alone was disrupted.

"Roy Mustang you're a dead man!" He didn't move a muscle but a small sigh ruffled her hair.

"What'd you do to Jean?"

Roy let go of her to hold his hands in mock surrender. "For once, I have no idea." He peered over the edge of the roof and sure enough, Havoc was standing in the backyard staring daggers up at him. He casually sat down, feet dangling as he leaned back comfortably on his hands for support. Riza stayed back just behind him, more or less ready to pull him back from a fall. Apparently there was a solid chance of it.

Havoc stopped when he realized he had his attention and gestured to his breast pocket followed by a pat down of his pants. "You stole my smokes!" He'd obviously managed to have a few more drinks than they had, though Becca giggling behind him seemed to indicate that Riza was the one behind more than the rest being ahead.

"Did not." Roy countered easily. "Why would I?"

Havoc hadn't thought through that far and paused. "Fire!"

"Havoc, I did not steal your cigarettes because of 'fire'. Not _everything_ I do involves arson, you know. 600 cenz says they fell out of your pocket."

Riza took a quick look around and saw the package right outside the window. She picked it up and gestured to Roy, who waved her off with a conspiratorial grin. "Maybe they ran away. Don't want you smoking anymore, just like the rest of us."

Havoc threw up his hands and retreated back into the house. Rebecca stayed and Riza stepped close to the edge and tossed them down to her. Roy and Becca both started cracking up until a particularly hard chuckle sent him reeling slightly. Riza held out her hand. "Come on, I'd rather you not fall. It would certainly put a damper on the night." People thought she was serious but Riza's sense of humor was one of his favorite well-kept secrets.

"Good idea. Thanks for watching my back." He grinned and she just shook her head a little, wondering how he'd managed to survive before her if this was his MO.

"So it was Rebecca's idea to change your costumes?" He asked, sliding out of the window and waiting on the other side, stubbornly standing in the way so he could help Riza down. "Nevermind, of course it was." He mumbled under his breath, something he'd been doing quite a lot of that night. Riza decided to let that one go and started down the steps at his side, his hand lingering on her waist while they did. She gave him a smile and a wink of out the corner of her eye, something that made his heart stop without fail.

The others, when they were able to find them spread throughout the throng of guests, were all varying levels of destroyed and even though she was tipsy and Roy was certainly drunk they were going to have a much easier morning than their friends. Riza finally found Rose, both women gushing over each other in unison while their boyfriends just looked on adoringly, though during the conversation she noted Roy had disappeared. Riza was fairly certain he'd either reappear or make himself known. She barely noticed how comfortable she was making conversation until Rose mentioned how glad she was that Riza had made friends so fast.

Gracia sidled up to her, giving her regards to Rose and asking for the pattern for her ornate dress for the next Halloween, with a rare gleam in her eye that was usually reserved for late night gossip. Riza saw the reason soon enough. She had gotten Sheska, who was dressed as a mouse, to start talking to another timid looking freshman, dressed as some kind of mechanical person. Both were blushing like their lives depended on it but Gracia was working her magic. By the time Riza looked away Gracia was gone, handing them each a cup, and leaving them to a spirited conversation.

* * *

Havoc came out of nowhere, at Roy's side before he could blink, and Roy wasn't sure what he should be prepared for. Instead his friend hung his head. "Sorry man."

"Still want to kill me?"

"Definitely less than the time you got me locked out on that balcony in the girl's dorm." They started to reminiscence/argue, the way the group seemed to do most things. Riza, having finally found Roy but not feeling terribly like part of the conversation, retrieved a drink and meandered to the backyard in lieu of joining back with the group. It was cold enough that most everyone had been chased inside, and only a few dedicated smokers remained huddled by the entryway and trying to make as quick work of their cigarettes as they could. She ventured further, leaning against the low fence that separated the property from the many others like it. It wasn't much of an escape from the noise inside; every house was having its own party, but it was a good break from the crush of people in Heyman and Jean's house. She could only handle crowds for so long and people kept pouring in. It was clear that theirs was the place to be.

She wasn't alone for long, though. That was another thing to adjust to...usually she would be guaranteed space until she reached out for someone, which hadn't ever actually happened, but the "Team" was slightly different. If she disappeared, someone always came looking.

"You ok, Riza?" She nodded before turning to look at Maes.

"I'm fine, just needed a little air." Her smile assured him that she was telling the truth. And she actually was. "Are _you_ ok?" He looked slightly frazzled and even as he nodded, he took a glance over his shoulder inside.

"I only took my eyes off 'em for a second-" Riza bit back a laugh, not sure where this was about to go. "-but when I looked again Roy and Becca were doing shots. He was saying he'd take two for every one that she did, and as far as things ending well,"

"This isn't one of those things. Thank you, Maes." He nodded and turned, ambling back to the party and trusting she'd figure things out. He hadn't seen Gracia for at least 5 minutes and was missing her as only a drunk Hughes could.

"Tell him he's lucky to have you or else I woulda let them keep this up." He yelled over his shoulder. Everyone was telling her how lucky he was. At one point she was going to need someone to explain exactly why.

The cheering got louder and louder as she approached the dining room. Many too many people were cheering on her roommate and boyfriend in a competition, one that she was going to have to deal with the aftermath of. He stopped as soon as he saw her, half an ounce of whiskey running down the front of his costume. Becca finished hers successfully and threw a shot glass on the table in triumph.

"Ha! Told you I'd win!" Roy opened and closed his mouth like he was ready to say something but changed his mind. She took the final glass in front of him, downing it herself to the cheers of their friends. She did the same to the last shot in front of Rebecca, and that earned her raised eyebrows from her now very inebriated loved ones.

"Let's call that preliminary damage control. And a draw."

Rebecca started to whine and Havoc, even with her cranky as she was, got her to leave when he mentioned dancing. Riza linked her arm with Roy's and he looked down at her, her cheeks flushed from the cold and his from the sudden spike in drinks.

"I'm not going to ask how many you both knocked back in the time it took Maes to find me."

"Catalina did 6 so I did 12. Well, 11, since you took that one. Thank you, most likely."

"You're definitely welcome."

As Jean and Rebecca left the room, he saw a cloud of jet black hair duck around a corner.

 _If she does a single damn thing…_ He thought about mentioning it to Roy but it wasn't worth it. She wasn't following them and he'd be way too pissed off for it not to be exhausting. Rebecca's insistence on dancing drew him out of his thoughts and the near encounter slipped his mind for good.

* * *

Rebecca stayed at Jean and Heyman's, leaving their room free. Roy passed out as soon as he hit the bed and Riza took his shoes off before washing off her makeup and getting more comfortable. She nudged Roy enough to clear a space for her and when she woke up, based on the knot in her neck they didn't seem to have moved a muscle.

"Rize, am I dead?" Roy stirring must have been what had woken her.

"I don't believe so."

"Are you sure?" His whine was pitiful, arm over his eyes to block out the sun and lips in a visible pout. Riza got up and closed the blinds, finding a glass of water and setting it on the nightstand before sliding back under the covers.

"Communing with the dead isn't a talent of mine. Besides," she tapped his chest. "You feel corporeal enough to me."

"That was...too many shots. How many?"

"According to you, 11 in the span of 5 minutes. Honestly I'm surprised you're alive." He moaned again. so he hadn't been imagining it, he really did accept a challenge from Catalina.

"I think I need more sleep." His tone was clear, nearly pleading, that she stay with him even though she was a notorious early riser.

"Then you're lucky it's Sunday." She adjusted the pillows and closed her eyes while Roy, already ¾ asleep, buried his face in her hair. " 'smazing". He stopped moving almost immediately but he had a pulse so she wasn't terribly concerned.

Certain he was sleeping, Riza cuddled up and let herself relax and idly play with his hair. She loved how it felt in her fingers and how close it made her feel to him. "Used the word 'boyfriend' to describe you today." She said it quietly, against the sleeping man's chest. "Only in my head but it sounded nice."

"That's cause I want to be your boyfriend, my beautiful girlfriend." She nearly sat up in shock, completely sure that he was passed out, but he just curled around her and, with another headache induced moan, fell asleep. That mumble was the last she heard before she dragged him out of bed at 2pm. 

* * *

A/N: Another chapter down, plenty more to go! hope you all enjoyed my tribute to the infamous Travis Drinking Story ;) Shoutout to my beta, the Peter Parker to my Tony Stark, PurpleMaple! ~Allison


	5. Back Against the Wall

The next few weeks went by with an almost unbelievable lack of incidents, though Riza was able to get a little more insight into the half told stories and inside jokes she'd heard at everyone, but mostly at Roy's, expense. It was still all silly things, pranks and things that someone as charming as him could absolutely get away with. Though she was still in the dark about the consistent mentions of arson.

The team gathered together for dinner, earlier than normal to escape the pouring rain that had battered the campus for the better part of the week. Sheska and Kain had declined to join them that particular night though the invitation was extended for every meal. They couldn't resist working them into the team; they were so cute and Gracia had taken them under her wing to make sure they noticed each other, and then get them in situations where they'd be forced together. Not that they seemed to mind after her successful attempt at the Halloween party. Rebecca thought the freshman were adorable and had done her best to peer pressure them into socializing, much like she'd done Riza. And as it had worked with her, she was confident in her abilities.

But both underclassmen seemed prone to nervousness and while Riza understood that feeling well, watching the younger couple squirm felt both familiar and... distant. After a meal where they'd spent the better part of it blushing bright red she convinced the others to just let them join when they were more comfortable and for some reason they immediately went with her decision to leave them be. Probably because she was the only one who'd been in their shoes before. That rainy day, everyone was slightly cranky and no one more than Roy. His hatred of rain was unexplainable and he didn't even seem to have a reason why. The gloom that settled over them was uncomfortable and when Riza was hit with the realization that she didn't know how Gracia and Maes ended up together she saw an opening for the team's favourite activity-storytelling.

"So, I've heard a few things, but I don't know how you two actually met". The simple question had Maes on the edge of his seat immediately; he'd obviously been waiting for that question. Or if he hadn't, it was something he'd been dying to gush about. "Since the youngin's aren't here, it's storytime." Roy let his head fall onto the table in front of him. He'd been dreading this and Hughes patted his favorite drama queen's hair affectionately. He was only part of it for a little bit anyway.

"Well, Rebecca and Havoc have known each other forever, which you know, and I'm known Roy since we were about 10…."

 _Freshman orientation should be banned. Or at least voluntary, for hell's sake. Roy tapped his foot, listening to an upperclassmen explain where everything on campus was. Wasn't that part of the fun? Exploring and finding spots on your own?_

" _Ok, we'll have a break for lunch and then finish up with campus safety! Meet back here in an hour everyone!" Roy didn't even attempt to stifle his sigh at the idea of more time in that room. There were maybe 50 other students with them and he nudged Hughes in the ribs harder than necessary._

" _Let's not come back." Maes had been prepared for this as soon as he saw a full day's docket on learning how to be a student. He wasn't pleased either and went along with Roy's plan for the moment...two wouldn't be missed from a crowd this size. But the guilt was already setting in._

" _Where should we go then?" Maes' stomach rumbled audibly. "Nevermind. Let's go get something to eat."_

 _They wandered until they found what would eventually become their favourite haunt. The campus was practically deserted; they brought the new class in a few days before the rest of the school arrived to help them acclimate. It was the first day and Roy was acclimated just fine._

" _Quiche, nice." Maes reached for the plate, beckoning him from the counter of the cafe, when it was magically in Roy's hands._

" _You're an ass."_

" _You're the one who suggested food."_

"But that doesn't mean just

taking _it."_

 _They heard a muffled laugh behind them, garnering attention from the smug Roy and annoyed Maes. A girl with curly dark hair barely restrained in a ponytail and a tall, lanky blonde, both about their age, were watching their interaction with open amusement. Even though they had to be first years like them, they seemed totally at home._

 _Instead of them apologizing, or Maes and Roy telling them off, they sat down with them. So far everyone they'd seen had been boring, and these two had an actual sense of humour, and snarky to boot...perfect new friends. Roy elected to stay behind with Jean and Rebecca, but Hughes hadn't shaken his sense of responsibility yet and huffed, declaring he'd finish the session on their behalf if they waited for him, which was an easy promise to make. He didn't want to, but he wasn't going to start off university slacking off, no matter how appealing it was._

 _When Maes returned his face was bright red, eyes shining, grin wider than should be physically possible. "I'm in love!"_

"That's the short version." Gracia said with a soft smile. She'd had to travel much farther than the rest, even Riza, and hadn't made it even slightly on time. The first person she met on campus had been Maes...she'd literally run into him, more focused on trying not to drop her suitcases than watching where she was going and nearly fell when she bounced off his chest. Of course, he hadn't let her and caught her around the waist, holding just a second too long when he looked into her eyes. He then grabbed her luggage, walked her to the end of the seminar, and took her bags to her room. Compared to his best friend Maes was shy, but he asked if it would be ok to see her again and Gracia had been glad. She didn't know how to ask the tall, handsome boy with the energy of a puppy and the greenest eyes she'd seen the same thing.

"And the rest is history!" He declared, planting an exaggerated kiss on Gracia's cheek.

Rebecca had been silent most of the meal, which, while unusual, the others seemed to have agreed to not ask about. Riza knew she was fuming over Jean but her roommate hadn't shared much more. It was obvious they loved each other but somehow didn't know how to communicate. Which, for as long as they'd known each other, was impressive. She was sure she'd get the full story later, but hoped she wouldn't have to get involved...while Riza was getting used to having a large group of friends, she didn't have any experience mediating arguments between couples. Especially since Jean and Rebecca were quickly becoming her closest friends in the group...taking sides felt wrong.

* * *

The phone was already ringing when Riza came home from class and she dropped her bag, moving quickly to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Riza, is Becks there?"

"No, she's not. I can pass a message along to her if you want."

There was a long pause on the other end, so much so Riza assumed the call had disconnected. "If you're free, I could really use your help."

 _I knew I was going to get pulled into this…_

"Jean, I'm trying to stay neutral in all this nonsense. Which is what this is, by the way."

"I know, that's why I'm trying to fix it. Please?" He sounded so pitiful, and Riza had no idea how to deal with Rebecca moping, so she agreed and told him to meet her close to the center of town after taking a minute to think.

* * *

"She's mad because she cares." Riza wove in and out of the crowd in the store with Jean at her heels. The narrow aisles of book shops made her crazy, even more so with the lanky, energized man following her closely. She was sure he was going to knock down one of the shelves.

"I care too…" He hoped that much was obvious.

"I know that, and she knows that, but sometimes you have to remind her. Isn't that why we're here?"

Jean nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't think we'd end up at a bookstore." He wasn't complaining but they were not in the sections he tended to prefer. A longing look over towards medieval literature lasted enough to lose Riza. Unlike himself, she was hard to spot over the stacks.

She finally found what she wanted, running her fingers over the spines as she thought. She pulled out 4 books and handed them to him when Jean tracked her down, a volume of poetry under his arm for himself. "Read these."

He accepted the novel and scanned the back of one, thinking Riza had to be joking. What was a _"Luxe?_ " "Ok, I'm confused." If he was going to apologize he should be getting flowers or jewelry or something. Flowers made of jewelry?

"She _loves_ those. Read them. Talk to her about them." The debutante in a flowing dress on the cover did not seem like Rebecca's thing. But Riza was obviously serious and he sighed in defeat. She would know after all. "It'll mean more than another bouquet. Besides...they're not bad." She laughed. "I never admitted that, by the way." She and Gracia had both devoured them, something that was out of character for Riza but damn if they weren't fun.

"Lips are sealed." They went to the counter, Jean paying and Riza glancing through them again. He had his work cut out for him; each was almost 500 pages. They left the store and wandered between the shops again. Riza was distracted herself, one of these days she was going to go into that antique shop. The delicate vase was just mocking her at that point...how was it possible no one had purchased it?

"I don't want her to be mad at me for as long as it's going to take to go through these. What else should I get her? "

Riza looked up at him and shook her head. "Don't GET her anything. Presents don't fix everything, you know. Maybe bail on Roy and Maes next time instead of her." The small amount of snark in her tone and the side eye made him laugh despite himself and the situation. Of course she was right, it had been a stupid move, though, stupid moves were his specialty. He didn't think she'd get so mad, but they hadn't been spending as much time together as usual. Nixing a dinner date for poker had her upset, not mad, no matter what she' told Jean. And Riza being prickly about it on Beck's behalf, while trying to help him...Jean couldn't help but smile.

"I wasn't joking, you know." Riza thought she'd been clear enough.

"No, I know, you're just so much like a little sister sometimes." That got her to smile, even though she wasn't quite sure what he meant. She'd just told him facts.

"I thought you only had brothers?"

"Yeah but if I had a little sister, she'd be just like you." Her raised eyebrow encouraged him to explain. "Always watching out for the group even when we want to watch out for you, taking me to task over Becks but helping me anyway…the glare you gave me when you figured I wasn't paying attention.." He gave her a lopsided smile. "Oh, and making me buy a set of terrifyingly thick novels about what can only be gossipy girls. That clinches it."

She thought about it for a minute but returned his smile. She had always wanted a sibling; with the amount of time she'd spent alone it was practically a given. She didn't know how they behaved but if it was like Jean described, then she seemed to have found one.

" 'Sides, I'm tired of being the youngest." He ruffled her hair and she glared. "Yep. Little sister all the way. Come on, sis, I'm starving. Shopping worked up a hell of an appetite.'

"We went to one store." But she kept smiling.

"Ok, then, in that case I have to prepare myself for these and that requires food and coffee." He looked inside the bag, assessing the challenge. "Oh God one is literally called _Rumours_. Do I have to?"

Riza put a finger to her lips in mock-thought. "Yes. Oh and I'll be expecting reports on your thoughts on Penelope and Henry, and Henry and Elizabeth, and Elizabeth and Will…" He smacked himself in the forehead and she reached up to pat his shoulder. Whatever he was in store for, he did not feel prepared.

"You'll survive, I'm sure. I've seen the books you tear through for class. These are fast reads comparatively." He joked about not being smart but if he didn't have a book in his hand he always looked a little lost.

Jean tossed his arm over her shoulders on the way to the coffeeshop. "Ok, so am I supposed to like these people, all the whatstheirnames you just said?"

"Not telling you. That'd be cheating."

"Worst little sister ever."

She jokingly stuck her tongue out and they both laughed. "We've yet to see the quality of your older brother skills."

"I think I'm supposed to beat up anyone who looks at you the wrong way or upsets you. Roy do anything lately?" Riza responded in the negative and he nodded. "Well, he better not, it's my official duty to kick his ass if he does." He was going to have to get in line behind Rebecca in that case.

She dropped Jean at the coffee shop so she could get back to the paper she'd been working on, still grinning at the thought of how he'd secretly enjoy the series and how much it would mean to Becca.

* * *

And she had not been wrong. It had only been 2 days after their outing when Jean burst into their room without knocking. Becca and Riza had been lounging around, trying to decide if they wanted to do anything or just have a lazy Saturday. It seemed the choice had just been made for them. Or, at least, for Rebecca.

He had a bookmark stuck between the pages of the second volume, and a decent way through too. Rebecca looked at the book in his hand and back up to his face. Shock wasn't the right word, but it would do. "I have some things to say about one Penelope Hayes."

Rebecca was totally lost for words and Riza stood up, grabbing her jacket and shoes and saluting them with a wink. Her job was done and she did a pretty good one if she said so herself.

Havoc, not missing a beat, sat down across from Rebecca on her bed. "Having problems with Lina too. Why did-."

Riza closed the door, covering her mouth to keep from laughing until she was down the hall. If she was a little sister, she seemed to be a decent one. She ended up in Gracia's room instead, who quickly hung up the phone as soon as she saw Riza walk in.

"Everything ok?" She realized she hadn't knocked, and then figured out she hadn't ever done so. Rebecca had instantly instilled bad habits in her, though their friends seemed more than used to it.

Gracia turned, flushed and shook her head. "No, totally fine. Just making plans for later. What's up?" A drop in from Riza was rare but welcome, even if she did have terrible timing.

"So you know how I had Jean read the Luxe series to make Rebecca happy?" Gracia gestured to the overstuffed chair in her room for Riza to take, perching on the end of her bed nearby.

"I do, and the fact that you even tried amazes me." Gracia narrowed her eyes. "Wait...did he?"

Riza let out a laugh and it was a sound her friends never got tired of. "He did, he just stormed in yelling about Penelope."

"Well, if there's anyone to yell about…" She was seriously impressed. They'd all known each other for years and Riza came in and managed to put together a way to get Rebecca and Jean to talk in a few months.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"...Gracia? Gracia?" Roy looked at the phone and frowned. She had disconnected the call before saying goodbye and being the most polite of them all was out of character. But he'd been given a mission and there was no time like the present.

He laughed to himself at the terrible pun and made a mental note to double check on her when he came back, but his instructions were very precise. He wondered if he'd done something wrong or it was just something that had her so taken it would be a shame not to buy but either way, he was headed to the heart of Central on a mission.

"Curtis Antiques…" He muttered to himself, looking for the store Gracia had mentioned. It was so small he almost missed it but his goal was sitting right in the window and he felt a grin spread quickly across his face. He wouldn't just check on his friend later, but thank her. He wasn't sure what he was getting Riza for Christmas yet and it didn't feel _quite_ right but it sure would help for something. The delicate vase in the window was large but not ostentatious, and the pattern of purple orchids fanning out at the base and reaching towards the top, while not a perfect vehicle for the flowers themselves, was striking, even to him. Roy was inside the store before he knew it and the price tag made his eyes go wide, if only for a moment. It was worth it.

The store was larger than it looked on the outside, somehow spacious yet cramped and packed full of odds and ends. "Hello?" Roy couldn't see anyone else in the shop, let alone someone who actually worked there.

"Back this way!" A woman called from the depths and he moved carefully, being sure not to knock over anything, he was already planning on spending a small fortune.

"Ma'am?" She responded again and finally Roy was in a slightly more open room, chairs stacked on top of tables, all with price tags. Out of nowhere he found himself facing a strict looking woman in a long white top and sandals, wiping her hands on a towel.

"How can I help you?" She had the same curious features as himself and he wondered if she could also be Xingese, though the name on the door indicated differently.

"There's a vase in the window, I'd like to purchase it." Before she could respond a booming voice came from….somewhere, he couldn't even tell where the aisles were supposed to be.

"If it's the one with the flowers, there's already an inquiry on it."

The woman crossed her arms and tilted her head, watching Roy's face fall.

"Ah, I see. You need to apologize to your wife," she looked at his ring-less hand, "or girlfriend." She amended. His face falling was even to warm even Izumi's heart and she huffed. "What did you do?"

Still crestfallen, Roy shook his head. "Nothing, her friends just told me she loved it…" There was also the way she kept him at arm's length, but while he'd been thinking on it, had trouble coming up with a reason. It would be good to have if there _was_ one, though.

The woman laughed long and loud. "Alright, come on." She gestured for Roy to follow her, expertly moving through the clutter of her store. He followed and she handed it to him.

"There are few men who would go out of their way, and pay this much at your age, 'just because'. I think it's fitting that you should take it." She looked him up and down. "And at a small discount because you must be in high school." Roy pouted but quickly shook it off so she wouldn't change her mind.

He left the shop with a carefully packaged box, the strange woman having wrapped it to ensure it wouldn't break on his trip back to campus.

* * *

"Hey Hughes? I could use some advice." Maes cocked his eyebrow, attention drawn away from the rain battering the dorm window. He couldn't remember a time in his life where Roy asked him for help and it felt just as weird for Roy.

"I'm not not trying to rush Riza first of all. No way I'm fucking this up. But she seems almost afraid to let me, ah... see her. I don't know what I did so I don't know how to fix it. You think I did something to make her uncomfortable? I mean, we've gotten a little carried away but..." Sometimes she was the one initiating things even if she did get self conscious, but the way she pulled away from him was something he didn't understand. He'd been dwelling on it since his trip to the antiques shop and with the exception of Halloween, Riza hadn't let him get any closer to him than a hug and cut off any potential make out sessions fairly quickly. Roy would have been happy to spend every night in her dorm, even just cuddling like that night, but it was so obviously not an option he had only tried to bring it up once. Maybe that was it?

Roy saw something flash in Hughes eyes but he refused to own up to it. "If you're worried, maybe you should talk to her." Maes wanted to kick himself immediately. In his panic to keep Roy from prying he'd sent him exactly where he shouldn't go. "Well, actually, maybe…"

"No, you're right. Talking is a good." A thought crossed his mind and he groaned. "What if I did something really, really stupid?" Roy went over everything he could think of, but couldn't come up with a situation he'd put her in that would make her uneasy. Hopefully. It was certainly the opposite of his intentions. Halloween was looking more and more likely but she had brought him to the dorm, had kissed him...Roy couldn't remember the last time he'd been this confused over a girl or this torn up over it.

"I don't know, maybe it doesn't have anything to do with you." Maybe the rain would keep him inside.

"Then whatever is bothering her, I want to help. I'll see you in a bit."

"It's kinda late, Roy…." He was already out the door.

"Never listens." Hughes muttered under his breath. That wasn't quite true...he listened when it suited him. Maes wondered if she was ready and went to the phone to give Gracia a head's up, trusting she'd pass it on to Rebecca. Whether or not Riza decided to tell Roy was up to her but he had a bad feeling his best friend would keep prodding f she kept putting him off.

* * *

Roy's shaking, clenched fists were the only part of him he could seem to move. Every other part of his body was frozen, including his mind. He hadn't said a word since Riza took off her shirt, back to him and clutching it to her chest while she started to explain. Him appearing at her door was a welcome distraction from working, even if it was nearly midnight...for about a minute and a half. After he kissed her hello and she asked what was bothering him, she knew before he spoke that it was time. She'd told him in broad strokes first, trying to prepare him with almost exactly what she told the girls. Her father was a scientist for the military, he'd created a weapon, used her back as a notebook, and then destroyed parts of it. She'd asked if he wanted to see it, warning him the others had been upset, but he insisted. Roy still wasn't prepared for what he saw, but, how could he be?

"Was he trying to kill you?" The low growl took her by surprise; the others hadn't asked anything like that. She focused a little harder on the paintings she'd recently hung on her side of the room. She couldn't place his tone and he'd been silent for what felt like years after she'd turned around, unbuttoned her shirt, and held it up against her chest to give him a full view of her tattoo and the subsequent damage. She'd been staring at flowers ever since, knowing what was coming. Disgust, anger, etc.

"No…" She was fairly certain of that, even though her voice wavered. If he wanted her to die he wouldn't have turned her into a canvas. He would have considered that a waste of his time.

"Wasn't for lack of trying." Riza waited for him to elaborate, still facing away from him with her hair forming curtains on either side of her face. The tone in his voice bordered on scary and she didn't want to see the look that accompanied it. Neither could see or read the other's expression and for that they both were grateful. "The way some of this healed…." His voice cracked when his eyes landed on a particular patch of deep scarring.

"He did a good job but he died before it was finished healing so the rest was me. It's something that's difficult to do on your own" She was so nervous she was rambling, a new experience for her. And it wasn't exactly true; he had passed quickly and most of the work was done herself.

She felt him reach out, the air behind her disturbed, and then pull away just before touching her.

"It's ok Roy, it's healed. You won't hurt me."

"It's not ok. Don't _ever_ say that _this_ is ok." He watched her shoulders go rigid and through the all encompassing rage and what he was starting to recognize as despair, he could see he was going about this all wrong.

Roy took a deep breath to shake away some of the anger and slowly processed everything he knew while each piece broke him a little more. Riza had been used as a pawn and a piece of paper, put through something that 'torture' didn't begin to describe. And at the end of it all was left alone to take care of her injuries and herself as a kid. Riza, being met with silence, buttoned her blouse up and shook her hair out from the collar so it could keep hiding her face. It was easier that way, not verifying how horrifying he thought she was now.

Riza had been right in assuming this would be hard. She couldn't take wondering if he was as repulsed by her as she was, though if he was she wouldn't blame him. She wasn't expecting what she found when she got the courage to face him. His eyes were wet with tears but his expression was nothing short of murderous. When Riza didn't go to him he managed to dig his nails out of his palms and had her in his arms the same moment. He buried his face in her hair and held onto her so tightly he worried he'd squeeze the air out of her but couldn't manage to let go.

Having finally succeeded in showing Roy the worst part of her drained Riza more than she anticipated and she leaned into him. "I'm sorry. I should have saved you. God Riza I'm so sorry." He continued to whisper apologies like he'd been a complicit bystander and not a complete stranger hundreds of miles away. Riza had been prepared for a few different reactions, mostly anger and disgust. Or, only anger and disgust. This wasn't a scenario she had run through.

It took her a few tries to get him to let go of her enough to look at him. "Roy, you didn't do anything because you _couldn't_ do anything. You didn't even know me."

"I know. I just..." He swallowed hard, breathing deeply try to find the rest of his words, or any words.

Riza took his hand and led him to the bed, sitting down next to him. Roy still fought for a moment for words but found them again. "Is that why you've been distant?"

She nodded after a moment's pause. "I didn't want you to look at me like Becca and Gracia did. Sorrow, pity….they mean well but it seems to be difficult to take. It's already disgusting enough to look at-"

"Who said that?" It certainly wasn't Catalina or Gracia. His blood was back to boiling. That someone would have the nerve….

"No one, you're the only ones who have ever seen my back. It's just the truth."

Roy shook his head adamantly, already dripping, messy hair further displaced. "You're wrong. So wrong." She brushed a piece of fringe out of his eye to see him better and he cupped her face in his hands.

"You, nothing about you, Riza, is disgusting. What happened to you was disgusting and your father is lucky he's already dead or I'd take care of him right now."

 _Burn him to a crisp, see how it feels…._ But the old man had already taken the easy way out without having to answer to anyone about this.

Riza didn't say anything and he could tell she wasn't convinced. Even with him cupping her cheeks she couldn't meet his gaze.

"Can I….?" She understood his vague gesture and nodded, closing her eyes tightly. Did he really want to see it again?

She turned so he was looking at her back again and Roy delicately removed her shirt. Even though he knew why she'd been keeping away from him, he was still hesitant at the invasion of her space, and even more so at how fast his heart picked up as he placed the garment next to her. "You said it doesn't hurt?" She nodded but jumped when she felt his fingers graze her shoulder. Roy pulled back, apologies tumbling out so fast he was cutting himself off before he could finish the previous one.

Riza turned her head, facing him with more confidence this time. "The girls were good about it but since I kept it hidden and they were, I don't know, afraid, I'm not used to people touching my back." The last time someone had it was her, removing the final cool compress while praying it wasn't infected.

Realizing exactly how naked she was she flushed, squeezing his hand and turning back around. He was even more hesitant to try again but as he ran his hands along the dried ink and bubbles of scar tissue, Riza seemed to almost...relax.

"I'm sorry you thought I'd react badly. Well...differently badly." He wasn't proud of how he'd been before, not by a long shot. He'd assumed he'd gone too far during Halloween and was not ready for the real cause of the tension to be the woman he adored being burned alive. He traced every inch, treated every scar with care while trying not to look too deeply into the words they covered. He saw some Latin, some Xingese, and some language he didn't think he'd ever seen before. From what he could translate though, he was mystified as to why the old piece of shit decided it was worth keeping or better yet, ever created at all.

* * *

Rebecca wasn't sure if Riza would be home, or what state she'd be in after the warning call from Gracia and opened the door quietly. The lights were out but the moon was bright and she could see Riza and Roy sound asleep, Roy protectively wrapped around her, his face buried in the crook of her neck and exposed back. As the rest of them already knew, it didn't change anything about how Roy saw her. Rebecca slowly backed out of the room and used Gracia's phone to call Jean, letting him know things were going to be ok and also that she was going to be spending the night at his place.

* * *

Can't thank my Petey enough for helping me get this out before Royai week starts! Also, if you haven't read the series I mentioned, The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, it's pretty much Gossip Girl at the turn of the century and I LIVE for it. Hope you enjoyed, there's much more to come!

A.H.


	6. Freedom Fighters

" _This is a terrible plan." Rebecca clapped her hand over Heyman's mouth, hard._

" _Shhhhhhh teachers sleep like bats in their classrooms and we can't wake them up." Rebecca glared and smacked him upside the head when he started laughing._

" _No one over the age of 6 thinks that, Catalina." At least Roy had the good sense not to shout like the others._

" _Everyone, shh." Gracia bent down in front of the door to the science and technology building. Heymans wasn't sure how his friends would react to what he'd found; sometimes they went a little overboard. It didn't help that the rest of his friends were about 4 drinks deep by the time he made it home from his accidental discovery._

 _The rumor that animals were being used, tested, experimented on, had been going around campus for some time. Different kinds of medicines and other less than pleasant things were at the top of the infamous but unproven list. His timing wasn't ideal; they were far gone enough to want to do something about it, and then also act on it. Thinking things through wasn't really on the menu..they barely grabbed coats on the way from Jean and Heyman's house to the main campus. They were on a mission._

 _Gracia frowned at the obstacle in front of her and seemed to be sizing up the thick, very locked door. She had been worried that it would be too difficult with her limited supplies and practice but determination won out and she stuck a piece of gum in the keyhole to keep it from locking them in, and also just to be a little petty. The group openly gaped at her as she gestured for them to follow. She'd said she could do it but this was Gracia they were talking about, even Maes had doubted her abilities. She was the sweet, quiet one of the squad and here she was breaking and entering._

" _My darling Gracia where in the world did you learn that?" She just grinned at everyone's shocked faces._

" _I had a life before university, you know." In reality her father had taught her to make sure she wouldn't be locked out of the house and for assorted emergencies, but she giggled. It was funnier for them to think she had some kind of dark past._

" _Can't anyone be serious for one second?" Jean was as drunk as the rest of them but was the most invested in the plan. He glared at Gracia and Maes, moving on to Heymans, Roy, and Rebecca. At least Roy and Becks got that it was_ important _._

 _They wandered through dark halls, the lamp Breda brought the only way they could see anything._

" _Look." Rebecca had split off from the others, who had continued their trek. She was stopped in her tracks and they were getting farther away._

" _Guys." She stopped whispering and they all whipped around at the noise. She was pale, biting her lip while she looked at the sign on the door. Lab 5, the room Breda had named. "We're here."_

 _This door had two locks for Gracia to deal with, and even drunk she made quick work of it. Breda took a deep breath as he opened the door, swinging the lamp around. There were cages everywhere. Mice, cats, pigs, a section with a large fish tank and terrarium. Roy leaned over, reading the sign over one of the cats. It listed some medication he'd never heard of followed by a list of 'side effects' and how they developed over time. Just reading it make him feel sick. He was staring at the calico kitten when a sob caught his attention._

 _Breda and Rebecca had been making the rounds of the huge lab, determining exactly what was going on and what they could do. The rest rushed in their direction._

" _We have to get them out of here. All of them." Her eyes were fixed on a machine that looked too much like something in a crematorium._

" _Yes." Roy and Jean said it at the exact same time. The cages were barely locked._

" _Hey over here." Maes pointed at a door. "We can let them out here." It seemed to lead out right onto the campus but it was late and that was the best they could do, hopefully the test subjects would be long gone before the rest of the school was awake._

 _The team systematically opened every cage they could find, the ones healthy enough making a mad dash for the door. There were a few they couldn't do anything for and had the team near tears. When the room was as empty as possible, Roy grabbed the lamp and stormed to a chalkboard, erasing the formulas that had been written on it with his sleeve. Havoc joined him on the adjoining board. Maybe they lost some precious information that way._

 _The next morning, they hardly remembered a thing._

" _...Did...did we break into Barton?" Everyone had gathered for breakfast, trying to placate their hangovers. Gracia had a bad feeling when she woke up and saw her lock pick kit on her desk and hazy thoughts of animal liberation._

" _Nah, how would we have gotten in?" Havoc really didn't have any recollection at all, maybe Gracia had been dreaming. His pounding headache was taking up most of his thoughts and was barely paying attention_

" _Picked some locks."_

" _Wait. What?" Gracia looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them while she slipped her tools into view. The questions started immediately, mostly about her potentially checkered past, but Roy stopped them just as quickly._

" _Pretty sure she's right." Roy looked at the sleeve of his favourite coat, a dusting of chalk clinging to the dark blue fabric. "We definitely did_ _ **something**_ _."_

 _Havoc looked at his own arm but unlike Roy, he didn't wear the same coat everywhere. He had a sinking feeling if he looked in his room he'd find something similar though. They fell silent and as more students filtered in to eat, breathless gossip filling the room._

" _I heard it was a group of Xingese protesters."_

 _"Who would cross a desert to break into a school building? Besides, I heard they left messages behind!"_

" _What did they say?"_

" _I don't think anyone knows yet. I wonder who it was…"_

 _The two girls continued past their table but the team had heard plenty._

" _Oh, shit." Catalina sighed._

" _Yeah. It's coming back." Havoc wished it wasn't. The unasked 'but will we get away with it?' hung heavy in the air while they hoped for the best and planned for the worst._

* * *

" _Do you know how serious an infraction like this is? You committed a crime. Multiple crimes." Havoc and Roy nodded solemnly. The handcuffs seemed to be a bit much though. They had obviously hit a nerve with the administration._

" _And I don't believe for a single second that it was only you. This is a small university, I was made aware that you two are never separated from another four."_

" _No, it was just us." Roy had been adamant but the security officer was as well._

" _Let's see. Maes Hughes, Rebecca Catalina, Gracia_ _Rosner_ _,_ _and Heymans Breda. Sit tight, you'll see your friends soon." The guard looked at the cuffs and laughed. The little deviants didn't have much of a choice and he chuckled as he left. The bad press they'd created would cost the school dearly, even with the massive cover up already in place._

" _Alright boss. We go down for this and keep the others out."_

 _Roy nodded. It wasn't even a question._

 _Unfortunately, that wasn't their choice. The group wasn't about to let them take the fall and everyone admitted to playing a part. The obvious ringleaders were suspended for a full year, only able to re apply after their sentence was up. Breda, Gracia, Maes, and Rebecca were suspended for one semester. They refused to apologize, which bumped their sentences up to match Roy and Jean. They would've been expelled, with charges pressed on top of that, but there was no proof to tie the group to the crime enough to prosecute. That was the day Roy made an enemy for life in Catalina and put a bullseye on him and Havoc. Central University was watching, waiting for them to screw up just enough to get the two of them the hell off campus._

* * *

Roy fiddled with the small box in his pocket, wondering if Catalina was right and it was too much. He decided to go on instinct, hoping for the best and ignoring her best friend's advice...something he was now second guessing.

He'd come straight from visiting his mother, and Riza had taken the afternoon to go and politely tell the military she once again wasn't interested in joining. She'd been hoping an in-person refusal would finally get them to leave her alone, _hope_ being the key word. He understood why they were after her now, and knew with complete certainty they'd never find what they were looking for. He refused.

It was one of the rare occasions they couldn't come up with an excuse to walk together and it was a strange feeling...they were pretty good at those excuses. A gust of wind snapped him out of his internal, whiny monologue and he shivered against it, folding his collar up until he made it inside the restaurant. Roy was still pulling off his gloves when he approached the hostess, simultaneously taking a look at the clock above her.

"I have a reservation under Mustang." He said by way of greeting, hoping Riza hadn't beaten him there. She was so much better at managing time than he was...without her to shove him out the door he was hopeless. At least he was only 5 minutes late, a personal best on his own.

"Of course, right this way." He ignored the approving up and down she gave him, still rolling the box around in his hand, rethinking the motion when the two small pieces inside collided. They walked past each and every table, finally turning a corner and stopping in a separate, smaller dining room. There were only a few other tables and all of them were empty. A booth in the corner had a simple piece of paper on it reading 'Reserved: Mustang'. Still confused but glad to have made it before Riza, he slid into the seat and lifted the sign to find a note on the other side. The room was dim but the large letters would have been easy to read in the dark.

 **Tell Riza happy birthday for me, Roy-boy, and I expect to meet her soon. Maes says she's too good for you and he tends to be right.**

Of course his foster mother had bought out the whole dining room. He hadn't even told her their plans let alone the restaurant. "Hughes." He muttered, reading it once again. He shouldn't have told Maes he was going out to dinner, that was all the snoop needed to figure out the rest. "Has a point though."

"Who does? Are you ok?"

Roy had been so engrossed in this conspiracy against him he hadn't even noticed Riza approach. He cleared his throat, standing to take her coat and give her a peck on the lips. "Happy birthday." He smiled. "And I am absolutely ok. Better than, now that you're here." He took his seat, sliding into the booth next to her and explained how his mother had gone overboard. Riza blushed furiously, unable to keep the color from taking over her cheeks.

"She…. really didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"There wouldn't be a way to stop her." Roy smiled, grateful even if the table came with what felt like a veiled threat. After a moment of debating with himself he handed over the note, only serving to make Riza more nervous. She'd heard stories from the others about Roy's infamous foster mother who ran a brothel that wasn't quite a brothel and who seemed to work in intelligence, but not necessarily for the government but not against it, and a hundred other contradictions.

But she willed herself to stop worrying about how much of a disappointment she'd be and embraced the evening Roy had planned. He'd brushed aside her insistence that birthdays weren't a big deal and had declared he'd have full run of the evening. He'd picked the place and time, warned her that there would indeed be presents, and that he'd keep the rest of the group away and it would be a quiet dinner. They were laughing over drinks and dessert when he pulled a small box out of his pocket.

"Before I forget-happy birthday, Rize." He smiled, trying to pretend he wasn't nervous. Riza did the same as she took it, hesitantly lifting the lid and finding a pair of small silver earrings. Roy stopped feeling ill when she smiled.

She wasn't quite sure what to say at first so she simply told the truth. "They're perfect." She carefully removed them from the box, taking out the small studs she'd worn for the occasion and replacing them with the gift.

"Catalina kept trying to tell me you wouldn't like them." Riza tilted her head to the side.

"Becca didn't help you?" Gracia had to have, then. Maybe Jean but that chance was fairly slim.

He laughed with her. "I was accompanied solely by big ideas and prayers. And an annoying girl at the shop insisting you'd like diamonds." So far from her taste. He knew her well enough to pick out jewelry, when she almost never wore any, without help. She'd stopped expecting an answer but 'who the hell is this person' crossed her mind for the hundredth time.

"I saw them and they just made sense." His tone was demure but he was beaming, once again answering a question she hadn't asked aloud. "I'm glad you like them."

She reached across the table and he did the same so she could squeeze his hand.

"You seem to know me too well to have to worry, Roy." She'd been trying to get more comfortable with that fact but it was hard. She didn't know how he felt and he was so close to her...fears she didn't voice to her friends but that were all too real. And if they'd talk about it, they would know each was equally afraid.

* * *

Christmas snuck up on the gang that year. Classes and exams had been much harder than even Riza had expected and were collectively burned out. But the also refused to let their first real holiday with Riza be anything but fantastic and gotten in gear, and by the time break was upon them they had everything but a tree. The night before they were scheduled to leave for their respective homes they gathered at Heyman's and Jean's, presents in tow. Everyone except for Roy and Maes. There were 45 minutes late and even with the fairly strong eggnog Heymans had made, were getting concerned.

"Do you think we should go out looking for them?" Rebecca frowned. Knowing those two they got caught up in something and were fleeing the authorities as they spoke.

A loud pounding at the door settled that debate. "Cops or the missing men? Cause I'm betting the police are on the other side."

"Maybe the Christmas Police!" Maes called out, laughing loudly. He was carrying one end of a large tree with Roy balancing the other along with a large bag over his shoulder.

"What…" They dismissed their friends' questions and went about setting it up in the middle of the living room. The thing brushed up against the ceiling and everyone wondered where and how they're procured the conifer.

"What's in the bag, Santa?" Havoc joked, peeking inside to find ornaments and 2 wrapped presents.

"It's not a Christmas tree if there's nothing on it. That's just a weird tree we dropped in your house. Not very festive." Roy's eyes were bright as he handed out baubles to put on the tree, things he'd kept from the last year's party and a few new additions.

Another batch of eggnog was made and once the room was suitably complete they got down to the next part of their evening. They settled on the floor, a box in front of each of them.

"Who wants to go first?" Gracia tucked her legs under her, her long skirt fanning around her slightly. The others were similarly dressed up, even though Roy and Maes were less polished than the rest.

"I will!" Rebecca said, jumping up to stoke the fire and pass the gift in front of her to Maes.

"I had a feeling you had me this year. You've been sneaky." He declared, opening it and grinning. They had a penchant for silly gifts over fancy ones and Rebecca was one of the best.

He pulled a set of dog tags out of the box and passed them around so the rest could get a good look at the inscription: _Property of Gracia Rosner, if lost please return promptly._

"Once, that happened once!"

"...once a day. For years." Rebecca finished easily. Maes might have known what was going on anywhere on campus at any given time but it had taken him a long time to actually figure out where anything was. It was a great joke, but it was much more convenient when he finally sat down with a map. He slid them on and laughed, shooting a thumbs up in Becca's direction.

"Alright, my turn!" Heymans seemed excited and tossed the strangely wrapped package in front of him to Jean, who tore off the paper immediately.

"Seriously?" Sponges and gloves fell onto the floor and Breda spoke between fits of laughter. "You said you'd help out around here, so I gave you a head start. Also this." He reached behind the couch and revealed out a case of his roommate's favorite beer. "I'm not a monster."

"Says you." He grumbled but smiled and thanked him, tossing the sponges at Heyman's head for good measure.

Next came Jean, who had found a special edition of a novel Gracia had been talking about. Riza, still not sure she had the whole "Secret Santa" thing down, leaned across the circle to give Heymans a study guide for law school as well as a bottle of whiskey with a label Gracia had helped her design. "'Open When Graduating.' I'll do just that, thank you Riza." He stashed it on the top shelf in the kitchen, label facing proudly out. By his smile she felt like she'd done an ok job.

Gracia in turn handed Roy a rather large box and forced herself to put the book away until later. He sighed in relief...he always got the worst prank gifts and she was by far the nicest of all of them.

The painting inside was beautiful, but seemed...unfinished. He held it up, the abstract patterns swirling across the canvas and seeming to continue off it, like part of it was removed or the colors were trying to escape. It looked great though, and he started debating where to hang it.

"I have to go next, I had you." Riza opened the box provided by Maes, removing the wrapping carefully and setting it to the side. Inside lay a painting like Roy's but with a different pattern.

"Put them next to each other." The couple complied with Gracia's request and what had looked incomplete previously was suddenly whole. "They're sort of like puzzle pieces. And if there's anyone you could describe as two pieces of the same puzzle it would be you and Roy." The soft smile Gracia was known for gave the explanation even more warmth.

"This is beautiful, thank you.." Riza was lost for words at the thought that had gone into what was supposed to be a goofy gift swap.

"That leaves me." Roy held up a square box and gave it to Rebecca. She raised her eyebrow, wondering what in the world Mustang would possibly get her.

"Woah, Mustang, this is so cool!" She showed off a small statuette of a dove that sparkled when the light hit it.

"A sort of shiny peace offering." He elaborated and Becca pursed her lips in thought.

"Peace accepted." It was as close as he'd get to a truce and he gladly took it.

* * *

Rebecca looked over the small bag at Riza's feet. "Is that all you're bringing? We'll be gone for almost a week you know."

She assessed the contents of it and nodded. "Why you need so many is what confuses me. We're going to your home, after all."

Riza going home with the team for Christmas hadn't been a question, and her roommate claimed her, with Jean joining in. Roy was less than pleased with the turn of events, even though spending the entire break with his family had been a little overwhelming for both of them. He didn't want her scared away and while she was more and more comfortable with the lot of them, his sisters at Christmas was a little over the top. He caved eventually but pouted the entire time they packed up the cars to depart.

Roy dug his toe into the carpet as Riza approached him. She laid her hand on his arm while he pouted at the thought of her being so far away. "Feel like spending a few days in Central when you're back from Catalina's?" He finally looked up and she could tell he was desperately suppressing a nervous blush. Was he sweating? "I mean, my mother really wants to meet you, and the holiday craziness will have died down, and…"

She tried her best to stay composed herself but wasn't quite as successful, earning a concerned frown from Roy.

"If you don't want to that's fine, completely fine." He took her silence as a no she didn't, in fact want to meet Madame Christmas.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Riza hadn't met anyone's parent's before, and she wasn't great at small talk and being impressive and whatever else she assumed went with the territory. She absolutely wanted to meet her, but was fairly certain she'd be a disappointment as well.

Roy couldn't help but smirk, pulling her into his arms. "Out of all the things in the world to worry about, her liking you isn't one of them. I'm pretty sure she already likes you more than she likes me."

Riza doubted that very much but he always managed to make her feel more sure of herself. "We'll be back on the 27th." She was quiet but sounded determined and he beamed, holding her tighter.

"Are you sure you won't come back until then?" She didn't have to pull away to know he was pouting again.

Riza laughed into his shoulder. "It'll only be 5 days."

"Yeah but that's 5 boring, long days." Still pouting, but there was something else too. Why did he think he had anything to worry about?

She shifted in Roy's grasp so she could loop her arms around his neck and by his expression she'd been correct in her assumption. A silly, untrue one, that someone else would catch her eye and be better than he was.

"Roy, you're ridiculous."

 _How does she do that?_

Roy, though, would be in the middle of Central, plenty of other girls to distract him, ones more fun and outgoing and most certainly better looking.

"I'm not the only one." He shook his head.

 _How does he do that?_ Riza tilted her head up to meet his, the kiss promising that they were both being ridiculous and the obvious fact that they only had eyes for the other.

"Riiiiiize, come on!" Rebecca stuck her head back into the room. She'd loaded up Jean with bags, though he and Riza didn't see the need for more than one each. "We're totally going to leave without you."

"Will not!" Jean called down the hall, earning a shush from his girlfriend.

"I'll be there in a minute." Rebecca smirked and went back to the car. She'd heard that more than once that morning, and she put two and two together to realize they hadn't been apart, at all, since they met. She'd been giving them as much time as possible but they really did need to get on the road. Riza closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Roy's. "I'll see you soon."

"Not soon enough." She smiled and kissed him, Roy's hands going to her waist.

"Oooook kids we don't have all day." Jean was at the door now, Riza's travel bag slung over his shoulder. If no one intervened they would never actually leave.

She piled into the back seat of the car, holding eye contact with Roy for as long as possible. When Riza was out of sight, he glanced to his left. She wasn't there and he felt like he was missing a small piece of him. More than a small piece. Rebecca had been right in her assumption that they weren't used to being apart for more than a few hours and he already didn't like it.

Riza was feeling much the same, burrowing a little deeper into his coat. It was only a few days, after all. A few days without his smile or the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world...a few days without Roy would feel like way more.

* * *

"You're looking strange, Roy boy." His foster mother peered at him over her cigarette. For once, he wasn't inhaling breakfast, instead staring into the middle distance and occasionally reaching for a bite of toast or sip of coffee.

"Hm?"

"I know that face. Well, not on you." She'd seen the starry eyes in a hundred of her patrons, however. "She's got you bad."

Roy didn't try to dispute that.

"I'm curious to finally meet her, see what kind of girl my boy brings home." Even though he'd dated plenty, he hadn't cared enough to bring anyone to the bar.

 _A girl with long blonde hair and huge brown eyes, even the tiniest smile lights up her whole face; a girl who's kind and caring and beautiful and still could be imaginary because there's no one else like her in the world and she picked me of all people. She's kind, and she's stubborn, and I'm pretty sure she could kill me literally or figuratively in a single_

He was broken out of his train of thought when his foster mother started laughing. "Now I'm even more intrigued. Though I do believe she's real, as Maes has told me all about her." Roy realized he'd been thinking out loud and turned bright red, pushing himself away from the table.

"I'm um, I'm going to go for a walk."

"If that's the case, here." She shoved a shopping list at him. "Be useful, this is what we need for dinner."

"Anything to get out of here before you tell the girls about this."

"Then you better move fast."

 _2 days down, 3 to go._

* * *

It took him over an hour and a half to gather everything on the list and Roy stumbled in the kitchen door, dropping bag after bag on the counter.

"Jean called while you were out." Kate was stirring something on the stove and nodded towards the phone. "Oh! Did you get flour?"

The house was closed for Christmas and his sisters were starting to work on dinner...he would help but they refused to let him make more than coffee. They did, however, tease him relentlessly so he was ready to get the hell out of there as soon as he dropped the last package.

"Yeah, and everything else at the store too. Surprised they were open."

"Thanks Roy!" Ava and Vanessa dug through the bags, sorting out ingredients. He received a kiss on each cheek for his trouble and rubbed the lipstick away as he went for his and his mother's personal phone line.

Havoc picked up on the first ring, sounding way too excited. "I had an idea!"

"When I say that, and that enthusiastically, people call Riza and start gathering bail money."

"No this is a _good_ plan. I swear. I'm coming down to Central, I finally figured out what to get Becks for Christmas and I want to be able to give it to her soon."

"Havoc, it IS Christmas. Almost nothing's open."

"I know, but I have a plan. I swear. But I could use an extra set of eyes to be sure. If Madame Christmas can spare you." He snickered. Like anyone would let him close to any kind of stove.

"Am I picking you up at the train as well?"

"Nah, I'm driving down, it'll be quicker, Riza and Rebecca are distracted helping the Catalinas make dinner."

It was a long drive but Roy grinned. "Hey, Havoc? A favour for a favour."

* * *

A/N: this update took WAYYY too long. Life got in the way, as it sometimes does. There's plenty more to this story and I'll be updating more frequently. Thank you for sticking with me and thanks to my fabulous buddy and beta PurpleMaple. Next up, Christmas and New Year's!

~Allison


	7. Rocks on the Window, Snow in the Air

She was violently shaken from a nice, deep sleep with a shove, and Riza's eyes flew open, startled and scrambling until she saw the culprit.

"Rebecca? What the hell?" She frowned and pulled the comforter towards her head, ready to fall back to dreamland.

"You were so sound asleep I thought you were dead. I was running out of ideas." She gestured to a pitcher of water on Riza's nightstand. "Mustang's outside and he won't stop throwing rocks at my house."

As if to punctuate the statement, she heard a small ping against the glass at the opposite end of the room they were sharing, much closer to Becca's twin bed than her own.

"What?" Roy was in Central, hours away. She reluctantly reached for a robe and slippers, shivering and groggy. When she looked out over the backyard, there was Roy with a handful of pebbles, with Havoc beside him.

"Your boyfriend's down there too."

"Yeah but it's yours with the rocks."

She opened the window and Roy's face lit up at the sight of her, in turn making her heart flip-as it did whenever they locked eyes. She held up a finger, telling him to wait a minute via a raised eyebrow and turned to Rebecca...who was already getting dressed. Riza watched her, and having a feeling this was one of their 'adventures', did the same. She looked longingly at her still-warm bed but at the same time she'd been dying to see him and couldn't find her shoes fast enough.

Roy had dropped the pebbles by the time Riza opened the backdoor. As soon as she stepped outside he immediately wrapped his arms around her, giving her a quick spin and taking a deep breath, inhaling her lavender shampoo.

"Roy, what are you doing here?" She had her arms around him as well, head against his chest. Instead of answering he tilted her chin up and kissed her. Riza had to catch her breath when he broke the kiss, her face flushed from the intensity.

"I missed you." He leaned towards her again and she stopped him, albeit reluctantly.

"I missed you too, how did you get here though? There aren't any trains running this late. Also, how did you get out of Christmas dinner with your family?"

"Havoc actually drove all the way to Central to pick up something for Catalina. I tagged along on his return journey." He paused, wondering if he'd messed up his friend's plans by saying that. "And we did lunch instead of dinner, so by the time Havoc got there I was more than ready. And Madame Christmas was eager to get rid of me I think. She says I've been moping." Which, he absolutely had been.

The mention of a gift got Rebecca's attention and Jean shot Roy the glare to end them all. He did indeed seem to have messed up. "What'd you get me!?"

"You'll see." It was going to be nearly impossible to hold her off for more than a few days and he was regretting being nice enough to bring Roy with him. Though the joy on his adopted kid sister's face was nearly worth it.

"Come on." Jean had to practically drag Rebecca with him as they left the backyard, having announced she wasn't going anywhere until she got her gift. Roy helped nudge them along and the girls found a car idling on the other side of the fence. Roy and Riza followed at a more leisurely pace.

"You were saying before we all left that you were excited to see stars again. Well, I wanted to see them too, with you." It was almost impossible to get a good look at the sky in the middle of the city, Roy had tried many times, but the middle of nowhere was a completely different story.

Riza hummed in acknowledgement, having a feeling it had less to do with stars and more the amount of time they'd been apart. They'd be back on campus soon but the thought of returning a little early may or may not have crossed her mind. "You're such a hopeless romantic."

"You knew that already, come on." They picked up the pace and loaded into Jean's parent's car, driving down dark, winding roads until they reached a small hill. The guys spread out a blanket and got comfortable, glad it wasn't as cold as the other nights had been recently. Riza cuddled up close to Roy anyway, her head on his shoulder. Rebecca had her knees pulled up to her chest, chin resting on them contentedly and an opposite of Havoc, who just kind of fell into a comfortable-looking, sprawling position, his long legs hanging off the blanket.

"You really don't get anything like this in Central." Roy tilted his head back, mesmerized. He was hardly ever in a place where he could see that many, and so bright. No wonder the girls and Havoc had been looking forward to it.

Riza laid down and started pointing out constellations to Roy. Becca was much better at it though, and even if they didn't realize it she and Mustang were having a civil, even friendly conversation. Jean and Riza looked at each other across them and both took the cue from the other. This was a good chance for an olive branch.

Jean slid a little further down the blanket so he could rest his head on the fabric and not the grass, closing his eyes and dramatically tossing a leg over Becca's. After a moment or two of shifting and one large yawn he went completely still. Rebecca looked down at him with a soft smile. Out like a light. Granted, he could pretty much sleep anytime, anywhere, so this wasn't really all that out of character for him.

"Ok, but that one over there, why's it all by itself?"

Now that his head was behind both Roy and Becca's backs, it was Riza's turn. She yawned as well, complaining that it was contagious but she closed her eyes anyway. The hope was that if she and Jean checked out, maybe Roy and Rebecca would have some time to bond, or at least get along. Roy felt her shift and looked down, a mirror of how Rebecca had smiled at Havoc. Unlike Jean, she was not one to easily fall into dreamland, but it _was_ the middle of the night and based on Catalina's face he had definitely woken them up.

Even with Roy's hand resting against her thigh he didn't pull his attention away from Rebecca's descriptions of constellations. Riza cracked one eye open and smiled, Jean kept his shut but he had a huge grin on his face. It might not have been the plan but if Roy and Becks were going to get along...Jean and Riza's lives became so much less dramatic. He caught Riza's eye and winked, a cue that not only were things going well but they probably shouldn't interfere. And she agreed wholeheartedly, returning the look before closing her eyes again. When their significant others went quiet, they were both getting ready to 'wake up' until they heard Rebecca.

"You know, you're pretty stupid."

"Mmm. Agreed." Rebecca was surprised at how matter of fact he was; not coming back with a quip or snark was rare when he felt/was called out.

"Well, that was easier than I thought."

"Well, it's true." Roy leaned back a little, brushing a strand of Riza's hair carefully out from under where he'd been about to put his hand. He let it linger there, tracing the line of her jaw.

"It's all because of Riza right?"

"What is?"

"This whole New-Mustang thing, where you're not an ass _all_ the time and I only want to kill you occasionally." She took his silence as petulance and kept going. "It's like someone matters more to you than **you** finally."

"Damn Catalina, what do you really think?" He scowled but didn't argue. All things being equal, she wasn't far off. Riza had been the spark that had set off him working on being a better person.

"That you're an ass who got us expelled from school and tried to turn Jean into a cocky jerk just like you. You know Mustang, you have a way of drawing people towards you. I didn't think that was a good thing...still not sure actually. That's how cults and shit start. But when Riza drew you in instead, you started to change. "

Rebecca was looking at him curiously, while Roy stared out across the valley below them. "I wasn't going out of my way to be a ass. You could've talked to me instead of hating me."

"Nah, it was more satisfying that way. Besides, before Rize came along I was pretty set on hating you for life. It's not like you didn't give me enough reason." That was debatable, no one else was holding a grudge over the expulsion that he was aware of.

"And now?"

"Hatred downgraded to annoyance, as long as you're good to her and take care of her. She acts like she doesn't but she needs it." Their completely independent Riza, consistently avoiding asking even her doting boyfriend for help on anything. The start of the thought had Riza thrilled; the end of it was very unwelcome.

Roy sat completely up again, wanting to look as attentive as he was. He'd been desperate to have this talk with someone, and only Catalina would have the answers. "I know, but I don't know how to ask if she does or not." Rebecca let out a long breath indicating she felt the same.

"I didn't tell you this," Riza forced herself to remain relaxed and not tense up. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what was about to happen and she could feel Jean's eyes on her. "But I figured out one thing. There's a spot on her back that hurts her during certain weather. Like, a lot. She fell asleep one time promising it was fine but even then she was in obvious pain. I put a warm compress on it, seemed to give her some relief. At least, she stayed asleep for a few hours."

Riza continued to will herself to stay still and not respond. She didn't need help, she could more than handle a few aches and made a mental note to be less obvious. She knew Jean was still looking at her and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly, waiting for the conversation to end.

Roy took a quick glance around before speaking up again. Jean was taking up half the blanket and half of Rebecca as well. Riza seemed sound asleep as well; she had a habit of drifting off. Rebecca mentioning her back added a piece to the puzzle. Even though he'd gotten an answer, he still felt like he was missing something.

 _Asleep for a few hours?_ Her tone made it seem like that was a rarity and that didn't make sense.

"Does Rize, I don't know, sleep?" Rebecca blinked. Riza was with him about half the time to begin with and would know as well, if not better, than she would.

"Um, not much from what I can tell?" He looked so concerned she took him seriously and thought more. "She might fall asleep after I do at like 3 but she's always awake when I go to bed and when I wake up, so.." Rebecca shrugged and paused. Some people could run on just a few hours rest though, maybe Riza was one of them. She eyed him, waiting for the reason he asked but he was silent. "Once she said she wasn't a fan and if she didn't have to would much rather not sleep. I didn't really know her then, figured it was about being able to study. But... I'm pretty sure she has nightmares." That wasn't exactly true. Rebecca _knew_ she had nightmares, the things she screamed and the terror in her voice scared the shit out of her but had no idea what to tell Mustang... somehow this was a surprise for him.

Roy paled. He hadn't seen any of that. She'd fall asleep quickly and stay still by his side; hell he caught her smiling in her sleep sometimes. Occasionally there would be what seemed like a bad dream but she always brushed them off, rolling over and slipping right back to sleep with him following after. She never gave him the chance to question what happened when she woke up that way. She'd give him a small smile and tell him it was fine, using his grogginess to her advantage.

"So I shouldn't take her dozing off while we're watching a movie or driving as an insult?"

He definitely hadn't heard the things she sometimes yelled if he was asking that. She had a bad feeling there was more to Riza's history she wasn't ever going to share. "I'd say it's the opposite. She probably feels safe enough to sleep, whether it's conscious or not, I don't know."

"Safe?" When was she not safe?

"She didn't get to grow up with Madame Christmas, Mustang. We only know what we've seen and what she's willing to say. So yes, if she's passing out all over the place when you're together, she's probably letting her guard down, knowing nothing will happen to her. Or at least, that's my theory."

 _Please, please stop._ Riza begged but only Jean saw the pain deeply etched across her face.

Havoc made a show of sitting up and stretching, wrapping his arms around Rebecca and letting his chin fall heavily onto her shoulder. "What'd I miss?" He wasn't about to let the conversation get any farther along. Even if they didn't know it they were causing Riza some serious hurt.

"Well, Catalina doesn't hate me…"

"For the moment."

"Must've slept through something juicy. Riza's out too?" Jean leaned behind Roy and Rebecca's backs and tapped Riza's forehead lightly before they answered; it wasn't like he wasn't aware. She made a face at him but rolled onto her back.

"Slept through the stars." She said sadly, greeted only by clouds. The formerly sparkling sky seemed much more ominous than the last time she checked. Riza started as she felt something fall into her eye. Slowly but surely the flakes appeared, and became steadier until they agreed it was past time to head back. There hadn't been any word of a storm; and the guys would know, it would have dashed their gallant plans. As it was, they barely made it back to the Catalina household before it was too dangerous to drive. Jean looked nervous as they fled to the warmth of the living room, the rest of the house silent but looking for something.

"Relax, it's not like you're going to get in trouble, we're not 15 anymore." Rebecca had been holding her cocoa with both hands but reached out to squeeze her boyfriend's. "You and Mustang can crash in the guest room if you're worried." He thought about it for a moment and shook his head with a grin. "That's what I thought."

Roy finished building a fire, a task he'd taken on without knowing exactly how difficult it would be. Havoc had been mocking him for the first 10 minutes and when the spark caught he spun around, snapping his fingers triumphantly to get his friend's attention. The nod he received in return meant he had some work to do but dammit, he never _built_ the things that caught on fire.

Riza was curled up against a corner of the large couch and he took a spot next to her, gratefully accepting his own mug of hot chocolate. It had taken her a minute to find what she needed in the kitchen but it had been a good break from trying to process what Rebecca had told Roy. She tried to push it all to the back of her mind but her words kept ringing in her ears. _"She needs help."_

They sat together, Rebecca and Havoc in an oversized armchair and Roy and Riza curled on the couch, the quartet watching the escalating snowfall and the crackling fire. Riza felt a bump against her shoulder within a few minutes and from the corner of her eye she could see Roy, completely asleep.

 _I'm the one always dozing off, am I?_ If she was in the habit of teasing this would certainly warrant it. Instead she took a look and saw Rebecca and Havoc had also passed out. Riza leaned against Roy, who, even in his sleep, pulled her against him protectively, and soon she joined the others.

Roy had charmed himself into an invitation to stay with the Havocs until their planned departure and the extra day was exactly what they needed, snowed in though they were. It was pure luck for Roy and Riza, she'd missed him the moment they left and another day would be torture.

* * *

The 27th came and went without much of the snow melting, but the group made it back to Central the day after. It pushed their plans back with Christmas and Riza felt like she'd already made a bad impression. Rebecca did everything they could to make her less nervous, and it worked right up until she was faced with the bar.

The confidence Riza had worked so hard to build up wavered in that moment. She wasn't charismatic like Roy and while she'd fit into his world at school, home was very different. Agreeing to meet is foster mother was easy, actually doing it was a different story.

Roy stopped before entering and squeezed her hand. "My sisters are a bit much, if they get too out of control just tell them. They're excited to meet you and don't have much of a concept of personal space." He'd told her that before and somehow, it didn't make the trip less daunting.

It was dark by the time they arrived, and bustling, but Madame Christmas abandoned her spot at the bar to approach her son. "Long time no see, Roy boy. Forget the address?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek. He had been there a few days before but she loved nothing more than to give him a hard time. She commented on how much older he looked and then turned her attention to Riza.

"So you're the girl who's made an honest man out of my boy? It's an honor to finally meet you, Miss Hawkeye.."

Riza blinked, hesitating before shaking her hand. "Riza, please. Thank you, Madame, but-"

"Christmas or Chris will do just fine." The poor girl looked so uncomfortable. "I cleared the corner booth for you and Roy. When things die down, I'll join you for a minute." Riza nodded, biting back another formal 'Madame' or 'ma'am'.

They slid into the booth and Roy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He'd held out a little on information in the hope that he could use it to distract her. He hadn't known if it would be busy or not, and even though his foster mother was a pro at getting people to feel comfortable he wanted to ensure he'd be able to do it himself.

"So this isn't a brothel." He leaned over, lips brushing against her ear as he whispered. It was hard to pay attention to what he was saying when he did things like that. "That guy at the table by the door works for one of the top Generals in Amestris. One glass too many and...actually, look." It seemed like he didn't have to tell, just show. The man was red in the face, gesturing to a beautiful girl looking at him with rapt attention. She nodded and smiled, seeming to tell him to keep going. He was becoming more animated, and the woman leaning in closer. "By the time he leaves, Ava will have piles of either gossip or intelligence. My mother's regular customers are as dangerous to Amestris as Drachma"

They covertly watched them, the woman putting her hand on the man's arm to steady him as she steered him towards the door with a goodnight and a 'see you again soon.' She ordered a drink from Madame Christmas, her only reaction a single eyebrow before beginning to mix the requested cocktail.

"So by my mother's face, I'd say intelligence."

"So she's a spy?" She whispered back, and then had to repeat the question. They found similar things distracting.

"Sort of." He explained her network to the best of his ability; not even he knew how far her influence reached.

"Explains a lot." Riza leaned her head against his shoulder, Roy kissing her hair like a reflex.

"About what?"

"You. Politics. Wanting to take over, make the world better."

"I'd say the same, but I tried to steer him clear." Christmas was sitting across from them, startling the hell out of Riza but Roy seemed fine. Like this was how she always moved, which for someone her size seemed fairly impossible. "As you might've noticed, Roy doesn't listen to reason. Or much at all."

He had been fine, excited for his foster mother to meet Riza, but now…..

"This is going to get embarrassing for me very quickly, isn't it."

"That was never in question, my boy."

Her family history was quickly glossed over, Riza trying to answer Madame Christmas' questions without saying too much. Roy had wanted, but couldn't bring himself, to talk to his mother about her scars and knew Hughes wouldn't cross that line. Christmas was mad enough at the information she'd gathered on the late Berthold Hawkeye as it was...Riza's secrets would stay exactly that.

She socialized for as long as she could, but there was business to do and intel to collect so she excused herself, letting them know there was food in the kitchen and she'd join them after closing. The idea of Riza had piqued her interest, but meeting her made her even more invested in getting to know this quiet girl with sadness in her eyes and her boy at her feet.

They lingered around the bar mostly, finding that people watching was practically a sport and keeping them busy until the last drunk was rolled out the door and the lights were off. As soon as darkness took over a corner of the room Riza yawned, clapping her hand over her mouth. Would Christmas think that was rude?

"Ready to turn in? You dodged a sister-shaped bullet, I don't want to press our luck." Plus, she looked exhausted. Riza agreed and Roy held out his hand. "My room's up on the second floor, should've given you the grand tour...but we can do that when we wake up." His plans were interrupted, loudly, before he could get any farther.

"You! You promised to be a gentleman. I should've known better." Madame Christmas took him by the ear and Riza bit her lip to keep from laughing at the scene. "Riza, please take the guest suite on the third floor." She let go of Roy's ear and he rubbed it like a petulant child. "Go to your room, Roy boy, she'll see you in the morning." She took Riza's elbow and started with her up the stairs to help get her set up for the night.

Riza cast a glance over her shoulder as she was whisked away and smiled, the twinkle in Roy's eye a sure sign she wasn't going to have to wait until the morning to see him.

Madame Christmas had already had the room made up and Riza's things unpacked while the kids were downstairs. She hadn't expected that and twisted an earring, a nervous tic she found she'd developed soon after Roy had given them to her. It almost never failed to help but this was one of the exceptions.

"You really didn't have to go to all this trouble." She was so visibly uncomfortable Christmas didn't know what to do with her.

"Come, sit down." She led Riza over to a set of chairs by a bookshelf in the corner. The room was warm and inviting but the girl seemed to be waiting for that to change.

Riza followed and took the chair across from Madame Christmas. She did her best not to eye her warily, but most likely failed. "I apologize, I don't mean to seem ungrateful."

"Don't concern yourself with that, I believe I understand, at least to an extent. But once you met Roy, I assume you noticed you gained quite the family at university, and that extends beyond them." Christmas looked at her kindly and she thought she could see through Riza's facade, just for a moment.

"Yes, it's been an adjustment." She acknowledged, meeting and holding Christmas' look. It cemented another one of her assumptions. Yes, Riza was reserved, but there was fire in this girl. It was quiet, and it was strong. Christmas knew exactly why her boy had fallen so hard. She stood and patted her shoulder, wondering how long it had taken Roy to get her to open up. These kinds of hard-to-read people fascinated Christmas to no end, but didn't want to badger her. With the way Roy spoke about her, there would be plenty of time.

"Knowing that group, yes, it certainly must be. Please, though, anytime you need someone to talk to, or somewhere to go, come here. If you need me and don't reach out, I'll know." Even if they weren't related Roy had inherited the sparkle in her eye. "And he'll be none the wiser if need be, secrets are my specialty after all."

She couldn't help the small smile that blossomed for a half second. It wasn't an offer presented to her regularly and she agreed that if she had to get away, that she'd come to the bar. For the first time in a long time, Riza actually had somewhere to go and Christmas could see it overwhelming her.

"I'll let you get to bed, breakfast should be done around 10...if Roy's sisters don't wake you up first." They'd promised to behave but were all a bit too excited at the prospect of their little brother in love and wanted to meet her more than anything. Christmas was going to have to be more stern, Riza was not the type who would deal with piles of giggling girls well.

Thank you again, Mada...Christmas." She nodded approvingly, earning another smile from Riza.

"No need, but you're welcome all the same." Christmas made sure to point out where everything was if she needed it and left her to sleep, wondering how long it would take her boy to break her rules.

Riza had finished changing into her pajamas and was brushing her hair when she heard a creak. "You don't waste any time."

"I wasted easily 5 minutes." Roy's retort was a whisper as he closed her door as quietly as he could.

* * *

Riza ran her hand idly up and down Roy's bare arm and looked across him at the time. "Are you sure the others don't mind?"

"What, that we didn't go straight to the party?" He pulled her a little closer, Riza adjusting accordingly.

"Well, yeah…" Roy was so much more social than she was. He was fine not going at all but both wanted to see their newly reunited team so they'd compromised on going over to Breda and Havoc's after midnight. They've have their own New Year's celebration before, as Roy wanted to do something special for their first New Year's Eve. So many 'firsts' and he had a scheme for each one. Though his plans had been….derailed somewhat.

"No, I doubt they mind. And if you still want to, we can go over in a little. Though.." he tapped her bare foot with his own under the blankets playfully. "...I would not say no to staying here."

"I don't doubt that." She agreed. "But we promised, and you wanted to get in one last hurrah before next semester, if I remember correctly."

"Riza Hawkeye... or a party... or Riza Hawkeye AT a party. How am I lucky enough to get everything I want?"

She didn't need to look to see his cocky grin and responded with a shake of her head. "If we could bottle your...confidence we'd make a million cenz and end the world at the same time." He faked a dramatic sigh but moved to let her get up as he did the same.

"Nah, there's not nearly enough of you to keep so many of me in check." He winked and it was Riza's turn to sigh.

"I love you, but that is _very_ true."

She didn't register what she said at first, focused on flipping through shirts in her closet. After a second she processed what she'd told him and turned a shade of red that hadn't existed previously.

 _No, it's ok, this is Roy. I know he loves me too. I know I'm right._

Still blushing like she'd been lit on fire, Riza stole a glance at Roy. He was halfway through getting dressed, and only black slacks was a very good look. Her amusement didn't last, though.

Roy was frozen, shirt in his hands and terror in his eyes. She might've been beet red but he was white as a ghost.

 _I was... was I wrong?_

* * *

And… we're halfway through the year!

I promise the next chapter is nearly done! Plus, PurpleMaple will make sure of it…as always, thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying my AU!

A.H.


	8. Where's Riza, Mustang?

Riza tried to keep her face as passive as possible. She had been afraid of this, and she had been right. Trusting people was as overrated as she assumed and she was a fool for doing so. She wished he would say something, anything, but the only reaction she got from him was that pale thousand yard stare. "This was a mistake." She could feel the world crumble around her and wanted out of the situation before she did too. Reaching up, she removed her earrings, feeling like she was removing a piece of herself but at the same time couldn't bear wearing them. She handed over the much-loved pieces of silver but she refused to look at him. She loved the earrings, she loved him, but..

"I...I…"

Riza thought he might finally speak up but when Roy saw the hurt in her eyes he lost his nerve and bolted out of the door. He didn't stop until he was at Breda's, his feet carrying him there without any input from his brain.

He opened the door with a bang and startled the formerly jovial group in the living room. They went completely silent when Roy came into view. He wasn't wearing a coat, shirt barely on and shoelaces untied.

"Where's Riza?" The others were immediately worried. He looked like hell and the missing piece of the team had them all immediately on edge.

"I don't want to talk about it." He swiftly crossed to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a full tumbler of whiskey.

Jean was on him before he could take a sip. "Where's Riza, Mustang?" He didn't appreciate having to repeat Rebecca's question.

"Roy, is everything ok?" Gracia wanted to hold Becca and Jean back but wasn't sure if Roy deserved the attack. From the look of him, something had happened, and that something hadn't been good.

"NO." He roared. He took his glass back from Havoc and downed it so he wouldn't have the chance to take it again.

Everyone watched him, half mesmerized, half worried, and half pissed off. They looked between each other and it was clear they were all equally in the dark.

"I shouldn't have even come." Tired of the half explained dramatics, Havoc grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out to the backyard. Roy stumbled over his shoelaces and wondered when he'd put them on.

"You're acting insane." Jean had never seen anything like this, and he'd been there for a fair amount Mustang's shit.

Roy tried to take a step back and breathe, looking up and closing his eyes. His expression twisted as he ran through what he'd done, again. "I am."

"Mustang, not letting this go." He was already angry and didn't quite know why yet. Just that Riza wasn't there, it was Roy's fault, and he wasn't able to help her if she needed it because he had to deal with this mess first.

His voice started as barely a whisper and got louder as he became more agitated. "Riza said I love you and I fucking ran away. I actually literally ran." That explained why he looked so bad on a few levels. "And I don't want to talk about it." Maybe if he repeated it enough they'd either listen or give him a chance to run.

"I thought you _did_ love her." Now that the rage had a target, maintaining his cool was becoming impossible.

"I DO!" He was back to shouting, not endearing himself to Havoc. "I don't know what happened, I froze and then I was here." The self loathing dripped from his voice and he ran a hand through his hair.

"You're an idiot." He nodded in agreement. That was one of the kinder words to describe him. The idiot in question reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the silver studs Riza had worn without fail since her birthday.

He was staring at them when Havoc said his name. Seeing the earrings was the last straw and Roy looked up just in time to catch a hard punch straight to his nose. He felt it break and Havoc took the earrings out of his hands while the blood flowed down Roy's face. He reached up to verify it was in fact broken, but didn't move to retaliate.

"What the hell is wrong with you Mustang?" He was absolutely furious and curled his fist at his side so he wouldn't lash out again though it was tempting.

"A lot I guess." His voice was distorted but the pain in his tone wasn't solely from his reconfigured face.

Havoc didn't know what to do other than hit him again so he shook his head and went inside, the door slamming a little behind him. Noise kicked up inside as the rest grilled him on what was going on. Roy looked around and saw his chance to escape. Going to his friends was a mistake but one that could be remedied, if he was quick enough.

He was about one minute away from the house when someone gripped his shoulder like a vice. He would usually have been alarmed, fought, done something, but instead he turned to face his assailant, ready for whatever was going to happen.

Rebecca gasped but nodded in approval when she saw him. Jean was not joking when he told them he'd broken Roy's nose, and he didn't seem to have taken any steps to remedy his situation. His shirt was soaked in blood and it hadn't quite finished flowing.

"Rebecca, please." He knew full well he'd fucked up. He didn't know how to ask for her to go away successfully but his tone made the request clear. She held him in place and he didn't move. What, he'd run and it would be Maes next time? Gracia with a shotgun? She looked like she was trying to compose herself but suddenly failed. She had been right, he was the same old Mustang and this time his target was...unacceptable.

"Think about her life, you _asshole_. How many times do you think she told was told she was loved? Let alone been able to say that to someone." Every word was a hiss and she was ready to start again when he finally said something back. "Riza told the truth and you.." She gestured to his mismatched buttons and the blood that made them really stand out.

"She deserves better.." Roy mumbled, almost impossible to understand through the swelling.

"What?" She couldn't hear him and was not in the mood to play games.

"I. Am. Not. Good. Enough!" Every word was louder than the last. It hurt his entire face but he kept shouting, gesturing wildly for good measure. "Riza deserves SO much more than me. She _shouldn't_ love me. I proved it. Is that fucking enough for you or would you like to know more!?" She was so surprised she loosened her grasp on him and Roy took off, heading as far away from everyone as possible. He just had to be a little smarter to avoid the whole shotgun scenario he was honestly kind of good for.

"WHERE IS SHE, MUSTANG?" Either he was too far away or refused to acknowledge her; Rebecca didn't get an answer. When she went back inside, the mood had changed drastically from before Hurricane Roy came through.

Rebecca sighed and sat down on the arm of a couch, Jean standing next to her with his hand on her shoulder. She commended him for holding back but wished he'd done a bit more damage. She also caught them up on his blow up and they were suitably shocked. "I"m going back to the dorms, hopefully she'll be there."

"I'll take the library." Gracia knew where Riza liked to hide to study. "Their whole 'keeping it open 24 hours' thing is handy."

"Don't forget about all the parties going on." Breda pointed out. Unless it was just their team, Riza wasn't a particular fan of large gatherings. That knocked out a decent part of the campus. "I'll take the south half to the quad."

"And I'll go look through the north side and meet you at the middle." It was probably closed but Jean would pass her favorite coffee place.

"I'll check our dorm just in case, he sure as hell won't be there and she'll know it. I'll get in touch with Kain and Sheska too. Maybe they saw something. Kain knows more about what's going on around campus at any given time than anyone else." Maes made a good point.

 _Unless..._

"What if she's not here?" Everyone had been thinking it but Rebecca finally said it.

"We'll find her." Jean would make sure of that. Riza was a creature of habit, the chance she would leave the familiar space around campus was slim. "Becca, what direction did Roy go?"

She pointed behind them towards the rows of house parties and the side street their best friend had sped down. Wherever he was, Maes was right that they weren't going to find Riza there too.

"Check in at the girls' room in an hour?" Everyone nodded and split up. Gracia squeezed Rebecca's hand, watching the fury in her eyes fluctuate with whatever she was thinking.

"If we find Riza, you have to calm down."

"I know, I know. I just didn't think this was quite how tonight would go." She took a deep breath, still shuddering with anger. Had he really been telling the truth? The Roy Mustang she'd known 6 months ago didn't have an honest bone in his body. He would have fought Jean back. He wouldn't have been this broken up over a girl. And he certainly wouldn't have said someone was too good for him.

"Gah!" Gracia rubbed her shoulder.

"Get it out of your system." She shook her head, wondering how she'd survived before Riza had come and been another level head to help her. "Though maybe not quite like Jean did."

"She's like his sister. It's adorable but also means he's going to beat up anyone who messes with her. Mustang's no exception, and, good." Gracia made Rebecca promise she'd try to calm down, ducking into the library while her temperamental friend trudged on. She had the best chance of finding Riza, she assumed, and had packed her anger away by the time she opened the door to their empty room.

* * *

Riza Hawkeye would not cry. She refused even if she was alone. And she really was; all her friend's were Roy's friends and she had no idea what to do. She had gotten used to having them around, and at some point forgot that it would be fleeting.

At first she couldn't place the feeling. It had been a while, but it was easy to identify. As it set in, deeper and deeper, she found a strange sort of comfort in the loneliness. She didn't have any bags the right size and hoped Becca wouldn't mind her taking one. It might be the wrong place to go but she'd made a promise.

Besides, where else was there?

Xxxxxxxx

"Anything?" The assembled group shook their heads in turn.

"I'm pretty sure the only places we didn't check were the parties and the class buildings." The last places she'd be.

Everyone was perched around the room brainstorming. They'd divided up the campus again, Breda, Maes and Rebecca taking care of the parties while the others elected to check the guy's dorm and then the buildings she spent most of her classes in. They might be the last places but they weren't going to stop looking. The fact that all the classrooms were locked wasn't a problem for Gracia. They were all heading out the door for their second attempt when the phone rang, sending the 5 racing back inside with Hughes closest to the receiver.

"Uh, Rebecca Catalina and Riza Hawkeye's room..?"

"Maes, good. Is my boy there?"

"Aunt Christmas?" He put his hand over the speaker and mouthed 'what the hell'' at the others. They crowded around him trying to hear.

"No, this is _your_ mother. Who you should call, by the way. Where's Roy?"

"Not completely sure. Why…"

"Riza showed up, Didn't want him to know she'd come until tomorrow. Figured he did something and that Rebecca would know what that something was."

"Found her!" He didn't bother covering the mouthpiece and Christmas frowned on the other end at the noise. "She's ok, she's with Roy's mom!" She couldn't hear exactly what they were saying but chatter started up in the background, loud enough to make her conversation difficult.

"So Roy's not there then?" She loved the kids but when they were focused on something it was hard to steer them back on track.

"No, we were more concerned with finding Riza."

"Jean broke his face." Rebecca chimed in, half to warn his mother and half out of glee and pride.

"Tell Rebecca hello." Christmas took a breath and ashed her cigarette. It was bad luck for Roy that he'd angered her again, he had been so happy to have cleared the air too. "Give her tonight and tell him to come by in the morning. Thank you kids for looking out for her. And for him too, Jean Havoc." If he'd hit Roy then her son had certainly done something. Usually Maes would be the one to take him to task and she was more and more interested in what had happened between midnight and RIza's appearance.

She promised Riza would be willing to talk to Roy, later, and hung up to return to tea. Riza was settled in the sitting room, legs against her chest with a mug resting on her knees. She'd been around emotional people for a long time. Her business and subsequent work depended on it. This girl, she was as closed a book as Christmas had ever encountered... but even through that it was obvious she was in an incredible amount of pain.

"Want to talk about it?" Even if she did, Riza wasn't sure how. She'd given Christmas the quick version of what had happened when she showed up to the bar unannounced, stoic and pale and carrying an overnight bag with Rebecca Catalina's name on it. She'd hoped the "I'm not sure if we're together anymore; he doesn't seem to care about me as much as I thought" when she arrived would suffice and didn't want to add anything else, it hurt to say out loud and she was already hurting plenty.

Christmas took a puff in response to her silence. "You know my boy. He likes to talk big but he's a softie. The girls tried to make sure he came up right. Got a little wild... and then all of a sudden he's different. A kid I'm proud of. You," she gestured with her cigarette, "you made that happen."

She wasn't sure what to say. Madame Christmas seemed to think much more of her than Roy did.

It was practically morning and the poor girl had been through so much. Christmas stood, taking her ashtray and mug with her. "Be prepared, the girls will probably wake you up again. I'll do my best to hold them off. By now they've made up your room though so get some rest." She patted Riza's shoulder. "And it is. Your room, I mean. Never worry about coming here, there will always be a place for you." The unspoken "No matter what Roy does" was understood and Riza nodded, mumbling a thank you and goodnight as she went up the stairs. A pair of pajamas were laid out for her, a simple note with a heart resting on top from one of the sisters.

It was the last straw and she finally broke down.

* * *

Roy's dorm was empty when he finally wandered back and he let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. He knew Riza wouldn't be there but there was a tiny part of him that thought maybe she would be to confront him. Washing his face took effort, and by the time he'd cleaned up Maes was home. They looked at each other for a moment while Roy assessed whether or not he was going to get his ass kicked again. When it didn't appear to be the case he had the chance he'd been waiting desperately for.

"Is Riza ok?" He knew his friends, knew they'd gone to her. There was no one like them and he was happy they were there.

"I don't know, she left."

Roy blanched. "What? Left? Left where?" He felt panic rising in his chest and wrapping itself around his lungs.

"Relax." It looked like he'd stopped breathing entirely. "You can go in the morning but your mom said to wait until then."

He was still confused. "Madame Christmas? What does she have to do with this?"

"That's where Riza went." Hughes handed Roy the earrings and sat down across from him. "Havoc really did a number on ya."

"I deserved it." It wasn't his first broken nose, though usually if needed Hughes did the honours. "She went to the bar?" Roy hoped her choice meant he hadn't totally blown it.

"And your sisters are probably ready to castrate you so try to fix it if you'd like to keep ahold of everything."

"I'll try." He would do whatever it took. One stupid moment and he'd hurt her so badly...even if she didn't forgive him he had to tell her.

* * *

His sisters, like everyone that met her, had developed a quick and deep attachment to Riza. Most of them had also known Roy for years, though, and were wavering between hugging the heartbroken boy and yelling at him on behalf of the heartbroken girl. He hadn't slept in the slightest the night before and as soon as the sun was up he was on his way home. She said morning, but she didn't say how early.

Almost everyone had still been sleeping but when one sister heard Roy was there, they were suddenly at the front of the bar with Roy and Christmas, a tidal wave of overlapping questions and not so subtle accusations. He could barely differentiate what they were saying but it was mostly the same things his friends had said, though slightly less violent.

Madame Christmas came around from the counter and gave him a long hug. "Rebecca wasn't kidding, Jean really did this?" She inspected his face carefully, the break giving his eyes a lovely black hue. "You didn't put ice or anything on here...Roy." She shook her head. "You have to take better care of yourself."

"Was a little distracted….is Riza here?"

"Yes."

"And she said she'd talk to me?"

"That's what she said. Vanessa?" The girl took the cue without another word and went up to Riza's room.

"Now, do we need to have some kind of talk?" Christmas narrowed her eyes.

"Do I have a choice?" He sat down at a stool and she passed him a glass of water.

"No."

* * *

Riza had only just showered and gotten dressed when Vanessa came to the door. The knock was quiet but as she'd come to expect, no girl at the place waited for a reply. Personal space seemed to be foreign concept to them, one that Vanessa had explained occasionally awarded them vital information in addition to being a bad habit.

"Roy's here if you want to see him." She thought she would have more time but he had taken 'morning' fairly literally.

"Ok." Vanessa looked skeptical but Riza nodded. "I promise."

 _Just a few minutes and then it'll be done with and you can get on with your life._ She missed her friends already.

He didn't look up at her even after he closed the door. She had to hate him, and he couldn't face her. She hadn't wanted to see him either but the damage was hard to miss and Riza felt her brow furrow independently from herself.

"Roy, what happened?" She crossed the room and tilted his head up to see his nose and brand new black eyes, her concern for him automatic. In doing so though, they made eye contact and Riza reminded herself that she cared more for him that he did for her and she was embarrassing herself. She quickly lifted her hand away, forcing her face to be as unreadable as possible. "Are you ok?"

"I already knew it but Havoc explained how much of an ass I am." He rubbed the back of his neck, wanting to reach out but could feel cold radiate from her.

They stood in silence, Roy looking at his shoes and Riza focused intently on a string hanging from her shirt. She'd need to mend that...

After what she assumed was hours Riza spoke up. _It doesn't matter what I say anyway._ The knowledge emboldened her a little. "I won't apologize for what I said, because I meant it. I _am_ sorry, though, that I said it." She willed that to be enough for him to go.

"Please don't be."

She wasn't sure what was coming but she could feel anger well up in her. Of course she was sorry. "Roy, you made your feelings clear. I would rather not draw this out." She kept wishing he would leave, she couldn't keep this up forever.

"No, that's the thing, I didn't make anything clear. I did the opposite. I'll leave but not before I make sure you know that I love you." The scoff was just audible enough for Roy to realize he really had ruined everything. "Rize, I do. I have. For a long time." Her face was still blank. Catalina wouldn't get out of his head, reminding him that Riza was very, very used to being unloved and he'd poured plenty of fuel on that fire. " I know I don't deserve you but please believe that."

She didn't say anything, trying her best _not_ to believe or trust him. That was a dangerous road, one that had gotten her there in the first place. Riza had planned on Roy finishing his piece, reiterating that he didn't share her feelings, and move on.

 _How is this more draining than last night?_ She'd been awake for maybe an hour and was already exhausted. Riza watched Roy take a deep breath and wince, not letting the pain stop him. If anything it was a reminder of how much he fucked up and why they were both at the bar and not in one of their rooms, Roy sleeping off a hangover with Riza beside him.

"You're so damn smart. And witty. When you're around you're all I can look at. And when you're not you're all I think about. I'm going to be in school forever if you're in my classes. I loved you from the moment I saw you but it's not right." Whatever he was trying to say was causing him some serious distress but she didn't break his train of thought. "You're all these amazing things and I can only get in the way."

She stayed silent but her eyes widened in confusion, though only someone whose favorite hobby was staring at her would be able to tell. _In the way of what?_

He had nothing to lose so Roy continued, moving a little closer and taking another small step when Riza didn't retreat. "I love you. I'm also the stupidest man alive. But I do love you, so much. Too much, if that's a thing. He shook his head. "Everyone's been right all these years, I really am a self centered asshole. You deserve to be with someone who's let face it, the opposite of me. Someone better." The assumed concrete fact had been eating at him and even though she'd never speak to him again it felt good to finally get off his chest. He hoped she understood why he'd ran but there would never be a 'good' reason.

Riza reached up and placed her hand hesitantly against his cheek. Roy covered it with his own, searching her eyes for an indication of...anything.

"Who decided that?" He seemed to have made more than a few logical leaps without her.

"What?"

Riza looked into his bruised eyes, finally letting a little emotion of her own show through. "Who said that? Because last time I checked, I chose if you were worth it or not, and vice versa." He swallowed hard and nodded. It was his turn to not believe her, but the warmth of her hand under his hopefully indicated otherwise "That wasn't easy for me." She sounded indifferent but that was so, so far from the case.

"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it. If it means I don't lose you I don't care. I'd go to hell if you asked.." Riza stopped him in his tracks as she leaned over to kiss him while avoiding the damaged parts of his face.

"Don't do it again." That was all she requested and the simplicity of it hit him square in the chest. She could have said and done so much else. Been dramatic, done something hurtful back, there was a myriad of things she was more than justified in throwing at him. But that wasn't Riza.

"Never." He emphasized the promise with the most sincere look either had ever seen. "I love you and I'm never going to stop saying it, either."

"Ok." That was the best she could do and he wrapped his arms around her, knowing as much. He probably wouldn't hear it from her for a while...he'd made her doubt him and he wasn't going to do it again

* * *

We're halfway through the year (not sure if it's halfway through the story though, I have many machinations)!

Shorter chapter but I felt bad leavin' ya hanging after that last one. Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think and send me a message if there's something you'd like to see!

Next: Valentine's Day!

~Allison


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